Van Damme Etienne

Etienne Van Damme was a Belgian artist born in Hamme in 1917 and died in Knokke in 1980. He was a painter, draftsman and watercolourist. He was educated at Sint-Lucas in Ghent, where he was a student of Maurice Tilley and Ed. Verstraeten. He has realized landscapes, marines, cityscapes, figures, interiors and flowers. He was an intimate painter. He met Marquet and was influenced by Turner and L. Topolski in London. From the press: 'In his art, E.V.D. himself an extremely sensitive painter for whom atmosphere and climate were the most important elements. All subjects such as marines, still lifes, portraits and landscapes can be found in his oeuvre and they were always painted with an extremely subtle and even ethereal sensitivity. E.V.D. was a modest but sincere artist.' He settled permanently in Knokke in 1964 and, together with his daughter Anny, opened a gallery where mainly animist painters were featured. He is listed in the Lexicon of West Flemish visual artists vii and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)