Constantin Meunier, the genesis of an image

Constantin Meunier (1831-1905) is a key figure of Belgian realism. Mainly celebrated as a painter-sculptor, he left his mark on his era by giving a voice to the working world and highlighting the nobility of work. After training as a sculptor, he took up painting at the Atelier Saint-Luc in Brussels, where he met Félicien Rops. Their respective careers led them back to each other again and again: they took part in the Société libre des Beaux-Arts (1868), the Société internationale des Aquafortistes (1869 then 1874), La Chrysalide (1876) and the exhibitions of the avant-garde group Les XX.

Towards the end of the 1870s, Meunier turned to poignant social scenes, intensely capturing working-class life and struggles through his painterly skills. From 1880, he broadened his horizons by becoming an illustrator. His drawings, translated into prints and reproduced using photomechanical processes, were used to illustrate major literary works such as Camille Lemonnier's Le Mort and Louis Delmer's Le Fils du gréviste. From 1885, he returned to sculpture. He became internationally recognized as one of the great innovative sculptors.

The exhibition explores a little-known facet of Constantin Meunier's work: his involvement in printmaking. Through a selection of engravings, drawings, paintings and sculptures, discover how Meunier influenced artists such as Auguste Danse, Karl Meunier and Maximilien Luce. An area is also dedicated to his work as an illustrator, allowing visitors to appreciate the extent of his talent and his role in the artistic revival of his time.

Nineteenth-century artists on display:

Paul Belloguet, Eugène Carrière, Frantz Charlet, Auguste Danse, D. De Haene, Maximilien Luce, Constantin Meunier, Henri Meunier, Jean-Baptiste Meunier, Karl Meunier, Félicien Rops, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, Herman Verbaere

An exhibition produced in collaboration with the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and UCLouvain 

Curated by: Davy Depelchin, curator in charge of the 19th-century painting and sculpture collections / Filip Dorssemont, full professor at UCLouvain