James Ensor is a Belgian artist born in 1860 and died in 1949. He is known today for his work marked by a dark and cynical humour, always using the same motifs: grimacing masks, worn in disturbing carnival scenes or motley and squeaky still lifes.
This part of his work reveals a view of others and of the world around him that is particularly severe and distrustful, a view that he himself shares: “My fellow citizens, of eminent ‘softness’, overwhelm me. They insult me, they insult me: I am crazy, I am foolish, I am wicked, bad”.
Always on the fringe of the artistic currents, and not having supported the authority of the Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels, his painting is completely personal and inimitable to him, he considers himself touched by Grace and nourished by the Muses.
This was confirmed by amateurs when he was made Baron and received the Legion of Honour for his talent and creation. James Ensor’s works of art are still popular in the art market.