The impact of the Great War and its aftermath on Belgian artistic life The impact of the Great War and its aftermath on Belgian artistic life.World War I had a major effect on Belgian visual arts. German occupation, the horror at the battlefield and the experience of exile led to multiple narratives and artistic expressions by Belgian artists during and after the war. Belgian interbellum art is extremely vibrant and diverse. 14/18 - Rupture or Continuity takes a look at Belgian artistic life in the years around the First World War and how it was affected by this event. The Great War was a catalyst of artistic oppositions, leading on the one hand to a Belgian avant-garde that explored new forms and styles, while continuing to uphold a more traditional and established art on the other. Whereas the war experience consolidated an already present style for some artists, for others it constituted a revolution leading to new artistic adventures. The collection of essays in the present book highlights these contrasting facets of Belgian art in its rich historical context during the early 20th century.Contributors: Werner Adriaenssens (Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels), Erik Buelinckx (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Brussels), Sophie de Schaepdrijver (Pennsylvania State University), Ole W. Fischer (University of Utah, Salt Lake City), Eva Francioli (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Laura Kollwelter (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), Christina Kott (Université Panthéon-Assas Paris 2), Françoise Lucbert (Université Laval, Québec), Peter Pauwels (independent art historian, Antwerp), Hubert Roland (F.R.S. - FNRS / Université Catholique de Louvain), Inga Rossi-Schrimpf (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), Sergio Servellón (FeliXart Museum, Drogenbos), Sandrine Smets (Royal Museum of Armed Forces and Military History, Brussels), Hans Vandevoorde (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Caterina Verdickt (Universiteit Antwerpen) The impact of the Great War and its aftermath on Belgian artistic life World War I had a major effect on Belgian visual arts. German occupation, the horror at the battlefield and the experience of exile led to multiple narratives and artistic expressions by Belgian artists during and after the war. Belgian interbellum art is extremely vibrant and diverse. 14/18 – Rupture or Continuity takes a look at Belgian artistic life in the years around the First World War and how it was affected by this event. The Great War was a catalyst of artistic oppositions, leading on the one hand to a Belgian avant-garde that explored new forms and styles, while continuing to uphold a more traditional and established art on the other. Whereas the war experience consolidated an already present style for some artists, for others it constituted a revolution leading to new artistic adventures. The collection of essays in the present book highlights these contrasting facets of Belgian art in its rich historical context during the early 20th century. Contributors: Werner Adriaenssens (Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels), Erik Buelinckx (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Brussels), Sophie de Schaepdrijver (Pennsylvania State University), Ole W. Fischer (University of Utah, Salt Lake City), Eva Francioli (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Laura Kollwelter (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), Christina Kott (Université Panthéon-Assas Paris 2), Françoise Lucbert (Université Laval, Québec), Peter Pauwels (independent art historian, Antwerp), Hubert Roland (F.R.S. – FNRS / Université Catholique de Louvain), Inga Rossi-Schrimpf (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), Sergio Servellón (FeliXart Museum, Drogenbos), Sandrine Smets (Royal Museum of Armed Forces and Military History, Brussels), Hans Vandevoorde (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Caterina Verdickt (Universiteit Antwerpen) Préface Michel Draguet Before and After? Rupture or Continuity? Belgian Art around the First World War. An Introduction Inga Rossi-Schrimpf Shaping the Experience of Military Occupation: Ten Images Sophie De Schaepdrijver 14/18 Rupture or Continuity? Belgian Art Around World War I in the Collections of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Inga Rossi-Schrimpf & Laura Kollwelter Illustrations ARTISTS AT WAR AND ABROAD – ON THE FRONT AND IN EXILE L’art en guerre ! L’État belge, mécène des artistes combattants :politique bienveillante ou nécessité impérieuse ? Sandrine Smets ‘My heart is sore about brave Belgium’ – Artistic Exodus: Belgian Refugee Artists in Great Britain during the Great War Caterina Verdickt Jacob and Louise De Graaff – Patrons of Modern Belgian Artists in Exile Laura Kollwelter OCCUPATION – INFLUENCES ON THE ART MARKET AND THE INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGES Belgian Art During the First World War: Exhibitions and Salons in Brussels Werner Adriaenssens « Rencontres interculturelles » et occupation : un nouvel élan pour les transferts culturels belgo-allemands après 1918 Christina Kott et Hubert Roland Precursors or Followers? The German Art Scene and the Role and Image of Belgian Art Around World War I Inga Rossi-Schrimpf POLITICIZED ART AROUND WWI When Flemish Nationalism, Progressivism, and Avant-Gardism Came Together: 1917-1922 Sergio Servellón Albert Daenens (1883-1952): Belgian Artist From Brussels, Flemish Activist and French Publicist, International Anarchist and Antimilitarist Before, During and After World War I Erik Buelinckx BELGIAN ART AND THE INTERNATIONAL AVANT-GARDE OF THE 1920’S-NETWORKS Modernist Generations in Belgium: United and Divided by Community Art Hans Vandevoorde The Originality of the 7 Arts’ Constructivism: The Connections to The Belgian Pre-War Art Scene Eva Francioli Réseaux d’artistes avant et après la guerre : le cas exemplaire de la Section d’or Françoise Lucbert BELGIAN ART AND THE INTERNATIONAL AVANT-GARDES OF THE 1920’S – CASE STUDIES From Avant-garde to Arrière-garde? – Henry van de Velde’s Architectural Oeuvre Before and After World War I Ole W. Fischer ‘Votre lettre m’a bien intéressée’: Marthe “Tour” Donas and the Belgian Art Scene Around 1920 Peter J.H. Pauwels Illustrations Abstracts About the Authors Bibliography Illustration Credits List of works shown in the exhibition 14-18. Rupture or Continuity - Belgian Art around World War I Colophon