Recent acquisitions

Lucas Devriendt, painting ‘Portret van Vincent D.' (‘Portrait of Vincent D.'), 2004-2009'. Invnr. MSK/1093

Lucas Devriendt (Kortrijk, 1955) started this work after meeting dancer Vincent Dunoyer. For the artist, ‘The hooded dancer' is a strong image, reminiscent of the paintings of Zurbarán, a Spanish court painter who depicted Carthusian monks in half-obscured cells. After an early figurative period, Lucas Devriendt gradually evolved toward abstraction. Themes such as interiors and the portrait appear in his more recent - again figurative - works.

Lucas Devriendt

Olivier Deprez, painting ‘A Social Game, 2008'. Invnr. MSK/1081

In this work, Olivier Deprez (Kortrijk, 1974), presents a surreal threatening scene depicting a computer monitor and a girl's doll, expectantly facing each other. The theatrical composition of the work refers to man's desire to lose himself in another self-image - another reality than the one in which he is actually living. Sketches and on-site notations form the basis of Olivier Deprez's paintings.

Joris Ghekiere, painting ‘Untitled, 2008'. Invnr. MSK/1079

The work of Joris Ghekiere (Kortrijk, 1955) is hard to catalogue. The artist consciously chooses to entitle all his works ‘Untitled'. In this way, he refuses to help the viewer with guiding themes or explicative titles. A similar stubbornness and detachment can be found in his technique. A sprayed-on colour gradient base is sprayed-over again; the final image is then peeled away, by removing the second layer or ‘painting it over'. The Broelmuseum bought the painting ‘Untitled, 1993' which represents the inner yard of the ‘Klein Kasteeltje'-building in Brussels in 1994. His latest work clearly illustrates his ongoing evolution.

Joris Ghekiere

Klaus Verscheure, painting ‘Warkid #2, 2009'. Invnr. MSK/1091

Klaus Verscheure (Kortrijk, 1968) calls himself a chronicler. His paintings are brushed impressions of news items, internet images, and personal experiences on location, such as in Bosnia at the end of the war. His paintings are statements about the incessant violence in current conflict situations. This work in black and white forms part of a series of painful portraits of dead children and infants who didn't survive the raids in Gaza and Afghanistan.

The universe of Tinus Vermeersch (Kortrijk, 1976) is populated with strange animals and bizarre figures. His small drawings with (un)earthly, surreal, and fantastic scenes are reminiscent of the old painterly art of Breughel and Bosch. Their format, colour usage, and representation have a lot in common with the typical folk imagery of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The Broelmuseum acquired two works in tempera. This painting shows a strange crouching birdlike animal in a composition that accentuates emptiness and desolation. The drawings recount no story, but their uneasiness and pointlessness reveal their existential character.

Tinus Vermeersch

Tinus Vermeersch, painting ‘Zonder titel, 2009' (‘Untitled, 2009'). Invnr. MSK/1095

The universe of Tinus Vermeersch (Kortrijk, 1976) is populated with strange animals and bizarre figures. His small drawings with (un)earthly, surreal, and fantastic scenes are reminiscent of the old painterly art of Breughel and Bosch. Their format, colour usage, and representation have a lot in common with the typical folk imagery of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The Broelmuseum acquired two works in tempera. The one shows a strange crouching birdlike animal in a composition that accentuates emptiness and desolation. This work is a representation of a floating feather-cloak which appears to offer protection and safety. The drawings recount no story, but their uneasiness and pointlessness reveal their existential character.

Pieter Vermeersch, painting ‘Untitled (inverse) 3, 2008'. Invnr. MSK/1096

Light and colour take a central place in the works of Pieter Vermeersch (Kortrijk, 1973), consistently seeking their own relation with concepts such as space and time. Vermeersch's oeuvre is reminiscent of the historical avant-garde of the sixties (minimalism, fundamental painting, and conceptualism). Vermeersch acquired fame with his monochrome painting that is usually based on a specific spatial context. This blue gradient is a typical example of Vermeersch's usually large-scaled autonomous work. Characteristic for his work is a colour analysis combined with an exquisite painterly gesture in which the subtle transitions barely suggest the hand of the artist.

Pieter Vermeersch