Guy Vandenbranden
in the European avant-garde
Date:
To mark the centenary of Guy Vandenbranden’s (1926–2014) birth, the KMSKA presents a special exhibition dedicated to one of Belgium’s leading representatives of constructivism. Discover how Vandenbranden became a pioneer of geometric abstraction and explore the career of a key figure in the post-war European avant-garde.
The exhibition traces Vandenbranden’s artistic development, from his early expressionist works to his clear, geometric compositions of colour and line. Inspired by artists such as Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian and Victor Vasarely, he developed a distinctive constructivist visual language in which form, colour and space are carefully balanced. His pursuit of precision also led him to experiment with industrial materials and fuelled his interest in modern architecture.
Through works by the artist himself, as well as by his Belgian and European contemporaries, the exhibition highlights the constant dialogue between his work and the international avant-garde. Surrounded by artists such as Jef Verheyen, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni and François Morellet, Vandenbranden was active in groups such as Art Abstrait, Formes and the International Working Group for Constructivism. Although he was never officially part of the ZERO movement, his work is closely connected to the innovative ideas that shaped the European avant-garde in the 1950s and 1960s.
I conceive a composite form and explore it in every possible way: black and white, colours, pastel. Until the series is exhausted. […] I believe that geometric art brings balance, harmony and beauty.
Explore the development of a distinctive Belgian abstract visual language and discover how Vandenbranden made a significant contribution to post-war abstract art in Europe.
The exhibition Guy Vandenbranden in the European Avant-Garde was organised in collaboration with the Guy Vandenbranden Estate / Callewaert Vanlangendonck Gallery. To mark the centenary, the Guy Vandenbranden Estate is also publishing a comprehensive catalogue raisonné.
*Compiled from an interview with Phil Mertens, published in Streven in November 1981, and a later conversation with Marcel van Jole. Both reproduced in Marcel van Jole and Ernest van Buynder, Guy Vandenbranden. Een halve eeuw constructivisme (Ghent: Snoeck, 2006), pp. 47 and 53.
Practical information
- In the Print Room on the third floor
- The expo is included in the museum admission ticket. Booking a separate time slot for this expo is not required.
- Visitors to the Guy Vandenbranden exhibition at KMSKA enjoy reduced admission to the René Magritte Museum & Museum of Abstract Art until 31 May 2027 upon presentation of their KMSKA ticket.
