Tim Van Laere Gallery Antwerp
March 12 to May 16, 2026
Tim Van Laere Gallery Antwerp presents a solo exhibition of the renowned Belgian artist James Ensor (1860–1949), curated by Ensor specialist Herwig Todts and Tim Van Laere.
The exhibition James Ensor, a Portrait of the Old Master as a Young Man focuses specifically on Ensor’s late, surprisingly vital oeuvre. Rather than depicting an artist repeating earlier successes, it presents an old master who remains playful, curious, and experimental; a creator who, well into old age, resisted what he called “Saint Routine.” Close study of his later work reveals an artist who stayed youthful in spirit and continued to experiment tirelessly with “les manières les plus opposées.” In his studio, he revisited colorful seascapes, and failed etching prints inspired sinisterly whimsical compositions. Shells and porcelain figurines become small, seemingly innocent theatrical scenes. Tiny masked creatures appear here and there, both performing for an audience and participating in dramatic tableaux. Ensor painted these scenes, as he described it himself, with his left eye on the mise-en-scène and his right eye on the colors of his palette. Even his portraits became, above all, experiments in color, where painterly freedom takes precedence over likeness. This exhibition thus reveals an Ensor who continued to innovate until the very end; a master who never ceased to remain young. Alongside this vibrant late work, the show presents a compact but powerful ensemble of large, relatively unknown charcoal drawings from 1880–1882, stemming from Ensor’s early avant-garde period.
Ensor emerged around 1880 as an artist firmly claiming his place within the avant-garde. From the outset, he believed that artistic renewal required the constant exploration of diverse “manières”: different subjects, techniques, and even contradictory styles. He remained faithful to this experimental credo throughout his life. He treated light, color, and form freely and independently, detached from visible reality. His work often anticipated modernism, yet his love for a broad range of expressive media - painting, drawing, etching, literary performances, satirical art criticism, and keyboard music - aligns even more closely with the pluralism of postmodernism.
Tim Van Laere Gallery positions itself explicitly as an artists’ gallery, where the artist is always the priority. The gallery builds long-term relationships with its artists, actively supporting them in the development of their artistic trajectories, while remaining mindful of their place in art history. In addition to groundbreaking solo exhibitions, the gallery regularly organizes group shows in which contemporary artists enter into dialogue with modern masters. Ensor’s work has already been presented twice in this context, in the exhibitions Everything and more (2013), We Will Begin by Drawing, We Shall Continue to Draw, and Then We Shall Draw Some More (2015) and Swim the Mountain Climb the Sea (2022) at Tim Van Laere Gallery Antwerp.
Tim Van Laere has had a personal and profound affinity with Ensor’s work for many years. What began as admiration grew into a long-cherished dream: realizing a solo exhibition presenting Ensor as an artist whose work transcends time; undiminished in freshness, experimentation, and influence. This vision resonates with numerous artists represented by the gallery, whose work shows clear traces of Ensor’s legacy, including Rinus Van de Velde, Ben Sledsens, Carroll Dunham, Jockum Nordström, Bram Demunter, Kati Heck, Tal R, Eline Vansteenkiste, and Marcel Dzama. This shared fascination brought Tim Van Laere into contact with Herwig Todts, with whom he co-curates this exhibition.
Tim Van Laere: “My father took my brother and me to exhibitions from a very young age, including those of James Ensor. His work has always been a source of inspiration and a benchmark. Through many conversations with the artists I work with today, I’ve realized that Ensor is just as important to them. Many people want to categorize art in order to understand it better, but I believe that great art transcends time and space. Art should not be confined, it should be approached as an open dialogue. I truly believe that if Ensor were alive today, he would feel completely at home at Tim Van Laere Gallery.”
Herwig Todts is responsible for the concept and selection of the exhibition in consultation with Tim Van Laere. He is Honorary Curator at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) and is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities on James Ensor. In 2024, he curated the exhibition In Your Wildest Dreams: Ensor Beyond Impressionism at the KMSKA. He has also served as curator or co-curator of numerous Ensor exhibitions at institutions such as the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Art Institute of Chicago, MoMA New York, the Royal Academy of Arts London, Musée d’Orsay Paris, Bozar Brussels, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Ordrupgaard Copenhagen, Kunstmuseum Basel, and museums in Singapore, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Additionally, he has published an impressive number of authoritative books on Ensor, including James Ensor: Wildest Dreams, Beyond Impressionism (2025), Verrukkelijke turbulentie (2024), and James Ensor, Occasional Modernist(2019).
In recent years, Ensor’s work has been highlighted in major solo exhibitions that underscore his enduring relevance and versatility. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp presented the extensive retrospective In Your Wildest Dreams: Ensor Beyond Impressionism (September 28, 2024 – January 19, 2025), one of the largest Ensor shows of this century, emphasizing his experimental vision, humor, and groundbreaking visual language, bringing together internationally acclaimed loans with the museum’s rich collection. In 2009, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York held a major retrospective, showcasing around 120 of Ensor’s works.
Ensor’s work is part of numerous major museum collections worldwide. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp holds the largest and most varied collection of Ensor’s works, including dozens of paintings, drawings, and prints documenting the evolution of his style. In Belgium, his work is also represented in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (Brussels), Museum M (Leuven), Museum Dhondt Dhaenens (Deurle), Mu.ZEE (Ostend), and the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR, Brussels). Internationally, his work is included in prominent collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York), The Art Institute (Chicago), The Metropolitan Museum (MET, New York), Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), Musée d’Orsay (Paris), J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Cologne), Neue Pinakothek (München), Tel Aviv Museum of Art (Tel Aviv), Israel Museum (Jerusalem), The National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), and Tate Britain (London).
IMAGES
JAMES ENSOR
Autoportrait (Pour Philippe Newman prince du violon), 1937
oil on panel
18,5 x 17 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Croquis au crayon doux, 1940
colored pencil on paper
18 x 12 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Lavage à neuf, 1940
colored pencil on paper
17,5 x 12 cm
JAMES ENSOR
La tentation de Saint Antoine, 1927
oil on canvas
59 x 69 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Chou rouge et verre de vin vert, 1925
oil on canvas
66 x 80 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Ma tante Chérie, 1916
oil on canvas
54 x 65 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Theatre of Ballet scène, ca 1915
colored pencil on paper
25 x 17 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Le Christ agonisant (Le Christ rouge), 1931
oil on canvas
50,5 x 60,3 cm
JAMES ENSOR
La naissance de venus, 1939
oil on canvas
49 x 60 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Une figure célebre, Jef Vogelpik et Paul Rubens reluquant féminités grassouillettes , 1937
oil on panel
33 x 24 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Coquilles, croupes et mollusques, 1937
oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Les Gillettes, 1928
oil on canvas
61 x 76 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Coquillages, 1895
oil on canvas
65,2 x 88,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Danse faunesque, 1937
oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm
JAMES ENSOR
La Clarinette fleuri (Pour fleurir Auguste De Boeck le bon génie de Merchtem), 1938
oil on panel
32,5 x 15,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Fruits, fleurs et masques flaires, 1936
oil on panel
13,7 x 18 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Rayons étoilés, 1941
oil on panel
14 x 18 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Portrait of Claude Bernieres (Quelques couleurs pour Claude Bernières), 1939
oil on panel
21,5 x 15,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Gosses multicolores en liesse sous la feuillée, 1938
colored pencils on paper
14,8 x 23 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Parc nacré, figures perlées, 1938
oil on panel
16 x 22 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Fleurs et fruits, 1938
oil on panel
16 x 24,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Carnaval de Binche, 1924
oil on canvas
61 x 76 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Le Luminisme, Le Futurisme, La Gravure à l'eau-forte, 1911
red, blue, green, and yellow wax pencils on paper
17,5 x 25 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Gentillet et Follette, 1911
red, blue, green and yellow wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Cymbalier, 1911
yellow, red and blue wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Trois Musiciens, 1911
red, blue, green, and yellow wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Fifrelin Bélandre, 1911
yellow and red wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Cinq Musiciens, 1911
red, blue, green, and yellow wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Un Tambour (or Le Pituiton au long nez), 1911
red, blue, and yellow wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Horion et Rossardo, 1911
red, blue, green, and yellow wax pencils on paper
25,2 x 17,6 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Poupeline, 1911
yellow, red and green wax pencils on paper
25 x 17,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Les Jouets Le Sapin La Maison de Nuremberg La Raquette, 1911
red, blue, green, and yellow wax pencils on paper
17,5 x 25 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Marine soleil couchant, 1940
oil on canvas
40,7 x 65 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Pêcheur, 1882
charcoal and black chalk on paper
75 x 61 cm
AMES ENSOR
Le Charbonnier, 1882
black chalk on paper
73,5 x 58,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Garçon, 1880
charcoal and black chalk on paper
76.5 x 59.5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Laveuse, 1880
black chalk on paper
74,3 x 55,6 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Portrait d’un ouvrier du port, 1880
charcoal on paper
74,5 x 56,1 cm
JAMES ENSOR
La dame en bleu (Portrait de Madame Duhot), 1906
oil on canvas
74 x 60 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Les Poupées (Les Poupées Graciles), 1916
oil on canvas
80 x 100 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Baigneuses, 1921
hand-colored etching
16,2 x 21,1 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Le Christ ressuscite Lazare d’entre les morts, ca 1912
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
7,8 x 13,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Nymphes, danseuses et bon diables, 1908
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
11,5 x 13,5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Monstres entrelacés, décousus, entrelardés (A), 1938
oil on wooden panel
13 x 33 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Monstres entrelacés, décousus, entrelardés (B), 1938
oil on wooden panel
13 x 33 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Au huitième ciel, 1912
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
14 x 12 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Evolutions entre ciel et mer, 1912
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
12 x 14 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Bacchanale avec Priapos, danseuses…, ca 1925
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
15 x 10 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Petit scène imaginaire, 1912
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
19.5 x 14.5 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Ondines, 1923
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
17.2 x 14 cm
JAMES ENSOR
Scène avec des danseuses, un cavalier, un cortège et de nombreux culs volants (apothéose), 1930
hand-colored pseudomonotype on paper
30 x 19,5 cm
