Van den Broeck Bert (Albert)

Bert (Albert) Van den Broeck was a Belgian artist born in Opwijk in 1917 and died in Aalst in 1989. He was a painter, draftsman, woodcarver, watercolourist, poet, writer, folklorist, protector of monuments and nature. He was a self-taught artist and made his debut as a poet. He was friends with Martin Bollé, Pros Bosteels and Piet Gillis and was part of the art circle Pro Arte in Dendermonde. He found his inspiration in the endangered landscapes of his region, people and life in the countryside. He fell under the spell of the Pajottenland and painted landscapes, farms, windmills, chapels and simple people. His style is sometimes reminiscent of De Bruycker or Ost. From the press: 'B.V.D.B. gained fame as a folkloric writer and illustrator, paints attractive landscapes from Brabant, does not make a bad cut, made striking abstract watercolors (subtly inspired and worthy of the greatest!), but above all reveals himself as an inexhaustible, original and strong draftsman of popular types. and scenes.” (A. Vlaskop, 1978) his drawings, sketches, poems and prose appeared in Het Volk, Het Nieuwsblad and De Standaard. In the 1970s he was the locomotive in the protest against the A8 motorway and the expressway. He was a consular judge, member of the Royal Commission for Monuments and Landscapes and curator of the Opwijk Nature Reserve. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)