Exploring the legacy of Antoine Wiertz, the most controversial and colossal figure in 19th-century Belgian art.
His name was Antoine Wiertz, and in 1839 at the Paris Salon, Charles Baudelaire described him as “… that infamous poseur, […] a charlatan, an idiot, a thief […] who cannot draw and whose stupidity is as massive as his giants.”
He painted gigantic canvases, and for that very reason, he built himself an enormous studio—which is now the museum dedicated to him. I found it absolutely wonderful.
From his studio, Wiertz engaged in the philosophical battles of his time. He defended ordinary people against war (evident in paintings titled Napoleon in Hell, From Fodder to Cannon, The Last Cannon, Peace), and fought for democracy and the abolition of the death penalty (The Vision of a Severed Head). Concerned with education, he dreamed of hanging his pacifist paintings in train stations, city halls, and courthouses. To eliminate glare on artworks displayed in such settings, he worked on a matte varnish based on turpentine. His experiments, however, only led to the poisoning of his own blood.
Musée Wiertz Museum – Fine Arts Belgium
Rue Vautier / Vautierstraat 62
1050 Brussels
