Laenen Gerard

Gerard Laenen (Mechelen 1899 – 1980 Etterbeek). Painter, sculptor. Studied at the Academy in Mechelen under T. Blickx and W. Rosier, and at the Academy in Brussels under C. Montald and V. Rousseau. Between 1931 and 1932, he spent time in India, Burma, and Siam, from which he brought back a series of landscapes titled Verloren Paradijs ("Lost Paradise"). He creates a unique world of fantastical figures and objects, projected into an oneiric cosmos. He weaves together abstraction and surrealism within his tranquil, spatial landscapes. Signs his work "Gerardlaenen." His work was acquired by the State in 1962. Listed in Twee eeuwen signaturen van Belgische kunstenaars ("Two Centuries of Signatures of Belgian Artists"). (Piron)