Malfait Hubert

Hubert Malfait was a Belgian artist, born in Astene in 1898 and died in Sint-Martens-Latem in 1971. He was a painter and draftsman. He was encouraged to draw by E. Claus in his youth. He trained at the Academy in Ghent, under the guidance of J. Delvin and G. Minne (1915-1922). In 1923 he came second for the Prix de Rome. Sometimes Hubert Malfait is included among the second generation of Latem artists. He treated rural scenes with characters and animals and figures as subjects. His first expressionist work, from 1923, is close in design to Gustave De Smet. In 1929 he was given the opportunity to travel to Italy on a scholarship. Around 1930 he leaned towards intimate realism. In 1955 he moved to Sint-Martens-Latem. His equestrian paintings were created in this period. His design became fully expressionistic again from 1958 onwards. After the Second World War he traveled to Brittany, Normandy and Provence. We find his work in the museums in Brussels, Antwerp, Deinze and Ostend. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)