Heymans Casimir

Casimir Heymans (Gustave Casimir) was a Belgian artist born in Hamme/East Flanders in 1893 and died in Bornem in 1984. He was an etcher, draftsman and painter. His younger brother was Karel Heymans. He was educated at the Academy in Brussels under the direction of H. Richir and J. Delville and at the Hoger Instituut in Antwerp under the supervision of J. De Bruycker and Is. Opsomer. In 1929, at the intercession of Opsomer, he made a cargo trip to America in the company of Achille Van Sassenbrouck and in 1930 in the company of Frans Schuerweghs. He was also good friends with Marten Melsen. He realized, among other things, harbor and Scheldt views, cityscapes, fairground scenes, figures, scenes with craftsmen, landscapes (Scheldt region, England, United States). From the press: “C.H. is a strong draftsman, a skilled graphic artist, who allows the Scheldt, the port and everything that ultimately makes the life of the river to grow into a mosaic of greatness in his work. Disabled from the First World War, this strong-willed artist learned to discover the value of a line with the left hand like a child.” He worked in Mortsel (1926-1948) and then settled in Antwerp. During the Second World War, his studio was destroyed by a V1 bomb. After the death of his wife, he traveled through Europe, visited the United States four times and Australia four times and went on safari to South Africa. He was a member of the Gravure Originale Belge (GOB). He participated, among other things, in the triennials of the GOB in Liège, Ghent and Brussels, in the Vierjaarlijks Kunstsalon van België in Brussels in 1939, exhibited in the Hall Henri De Braekeleer in Antwerp in 1960 and several times in the Martinushoeve in Zandvliet in the 70s. His work can be found in the Print Room of the Royal Library in Brussels, among other places. He taught drawing and painting at the Academy in Mortsel (1932-1943). (Piron)