Lemmen Georges

Georges Lemmen was a Belgian artist, born in Schaarbeek in 1865 and died in Uccle in 1916. He was a painter, graphic artist, draftsman and decorator. He followed a short training at the Academy in Sint-Joost-ten-Noode under the guidance of Hendrickx. Under the influence of Henry Van De Velde, he focused on the decorative arts. He designed wallpaper, fabrics, posters, ceramic work, carpets and cushions. Around 1888 he was influenced by Degas and Lautrec and became a member of the Group Les XX. He worked more impressionistically and fell under the spell of pointillism in 1889. He took part in the Salon des Indépendants in Paris. In 1892 he stayed in London and painted pointillist city and Thames views. In 1906 and 1908 he exhibited at the Druet gallery in Paris. After this period, his design became smoother and more nuanced. As an intimate, he preferably painted portraits, nudes, interiors, landscapes and still lifes. From the press: “The peace and serenity of his oeuvre is in stark contrast to the fear and unrest that one finds among his contemporaries. When viewing his works, one gets the strangely confusing impression of penetrating into the artist's secret world. He confidently shows us his wife and his children Jacques, Pierre and Lise, sketched in the poetry of their daily activities. On the other hand, his confidential nudes radiate the classical elegance and the seductive tenderness of pure beauty.” About his portraits: “Sometimes those paintings are strongly psychological portraits. Others radiate a soft, intimate atmosphere. Lemmen was a painter of inner life, of silent reverie.” Georges Lemmen stayed in the south of France around 1910, where mainly nudes were created. He also wrote many witty and astute art criticisms, including for magazines such as L'Art Moderne and Le Réveil. We find his work in the museums in Brussels, Ixelles, Ghent and Antwerp. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)