Van Den Dries Maurice
Maurice Van Den Dries (Deurne 1944 - 2025 Wilrijk). Painter, draftsman, graphic artist, sculptor (bronze). Education in drawing, painting, and etching under the supervision of R. De Coninck at the Academy in Antwerp (1960), etching and copper engraving at the Higher Institute in Antwerp under the supervision of Jos Hendrickx (1965-1970). In 1967, co-founder of the graphic artists' group Acid. Laureate of the Prix de Rome for Drawing in 1973. Created landscapes, interiors, figures, and still lifes, among other works. He debuted by evoking surreal atmospheres, then moved on to almost hyperrealistic drawings of car wrecks and states of decay, preferably with vegetation or overgrowth. His works exude atmosphere, emotion, tranquility, and contemplation. Laureate of the Prix de Rome in 1976. From the press: 'M.V.D.D.'s preference lies with pure etching, with the combination of etching and aquatint and, in the deepest blacks, with drypoint. In black, white, and grey, he allows a world of his own to be born. (...) His graphic work unites the heritage of tradition and the input of contemporary tendencies. M.V.D.D.'s work seems topical in the existential sense. But at the same time, it has its place within the timeless embrace of magical realism.' 'That synthesis—in a climate of sobriety and restraint—makes his oeuvre so striking,' (1974) and 'Landscape, still life, and figure are practiced by M.V.D.D. in a balanced manner, always with his own, recognizably sharp accent. Reality exists as a source of information and a possibility for interpretation, an object of study, but at the same time also a place of contemplative reflections.' - (1984). Was a teacher of figure drawing at the Academy in Mechelen (1970-1987) and a teacher of etching and figure drawing at the Academy in Lier. Works purchased by the State in 1964, 1967, 1969, 1973, and 1985, represented in the collections of the National Library of Belgium, the Print Cabinet of Antwerp, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Mentioned in BAS I and Two Centuries of Signatures of Belgian Artists. (Piron)
