Segers Maria

Maria Segers was a Belgian artist, born in Antwerp in 1922 and died in Antwerp in 1979. She was a painter, graphic artist and watercolorist. She received her training at the Academy in Antwerp and at the Higher Institute under the guidance of J. Hendrickx. She made her debut with graphically stylized works. The initially rather muted color palette became more sonorous over the years and color started to gain more and more importance in the compositions. She interwove dream and reality in her compositions. Her works appeared abstract, but the sources of inspiration remained nature, dreams, ballet and the circus. She also worked as an illustrator and designer of sets and costumes for the theater. From the press: “M.S. only started painting after 1955. Previously, she had etched and drawn (a student of J. Hendrickx) and this had such an impact on her work that drawing and watercolor always became the precursor to the painting. Her canvases are very expressive although they create an intimate atmosphere. In her landscapes she almost reaches abstraction with several large, contrasting areas of color.” She also showed an interest in portrait painting (including M. Gysen, Flor Peeters). We find her work in the Print Room in Antwerp and Brussels. She is mentioned in BAS II and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)