Timothy Hyman: JAMES ENSOR, ETCHING THE CARNIVAL

About

As a young artist in the 1880's, working alone in an attic above the small town of Ostend, James Ensor (1860-1949) created some of the most radical art in Europe - including arguably the greatest body of etchings since Rembrandt. He was born into a dynasty of shopkeepers, specialising in carnival goods, and especially in masks; his art was nourished by the traditions of the Flemish Carnival. Last year's Ensor retrospective at MOMA New York reaffirmed his importance; another show has just opened at Ghent - 'Hareng Saur' - placing his work beside the many later artists who have declared their debt to Ensor, such as Philip Guston, Paula Rego, and Asger Jorn. Timothy Hyman contributed an essay to the Barbican's 1997 Ensor exhibition. In 2000 he curated the Hayward Touring Exhibition, Carnivalesque