Van Berckelaer Vic
Vic Van Berckelaer was a Belgian artist, born in Berchem in 1913 and died in Wilrijk in 1975. He was a painter, draftsman and watercolorist. He was educated at the Academy in Berchem, under the direction of Frans Mortelmans and Oscar Verpoorten (1932-1939), at the Academy in Antwerp, under the direction of J. Creytens and Is. Opsomer (1939-1941) and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp, under the supervision of Anna Zarina, Jozef Vinck, Albert Van Dyck and Jan Vaerten (1948-1953). The themes he dealt with were studio views, interiors, still lifes and portraits. From the press: ‘V.V.B. is part of the group of Antwerp painters who have preserved the colorful figuration. Southern spirituality and Flemish pictorialism can be found again in smooth watercolors and drawings. Somewhere his paintings seem to contact R. Wouters. Colourful, juicy figuration and a masterful sense of balanced composition catch the eye at first glance. As early as the mid-1950s he took an active part in the art life around the Stadswaag (including in De Schuur) and twenty years later he still remains a loyal follower of the Antwerp school.' Work by Vic Berckelaer can be found in the Prentenkabinet in Antwerp. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures by Belgian artists. (Piron)