"During the summer holydays of 1937, we decided with my young wife to move from Paris, Avenue du Maine, to settle in Westende (Belgium). We lived there for one year and a half, devoted to painting."
“The wounded man”,1929, oil on canvas (60 x 73cm) private ownership. ©adagp
Some history:
PARABOL OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN (LUC 10.25-37)
25 A Professor of the Law rose and asked Jesus, to test his knowledge : Master, what must I do to reach eternal life ?
26 Jesus answered “What is written in the law ?, What do you read in it ?”
27 He was answered: “You will love your Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your spirit, all your strength and all your thoughts, and any other neighbour like yourself.”
28 “Right answer said Jesus, do that and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to make things clear, asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbour?”
30 Jesus answered :”A man was walking down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked by thieves who took all his belongings, assaulted him savagely and went away, leaving him half dead”.
31 A priest passed by, saw him and continued on his way.
32 Samewise, a Levite arrived on the spot, saw him, and went away.
33 But a Samaritan passed closed to him, feeling sad for him.
34 He came nearer and took care of his wounds with oil and wine, then loaded him on his horse back and took him to a hostel where he continued his cares.
35 On the next day, as he had to go, he handled two silver coins, gave them to the hostel keeper, saying :”Take care of him, and if you spend more than that, I shall compensate upon my return”
36 Which one of those three seems to you to be the neighbour of the man attacked by the thieves ?
37 “It is the one who acted benevolently in his favour” answered the Professor. Jesus replied “Go and act accordingly, along the same way”.
“The vegetable seller” 1927, oil on canvas, (100 x 80cm) private ownership.©adagp
"I went often to Ostend, a quarter of an hour away by tram. I took part in the publishing of a big book on the city of Ostend. Some of my drawings and paintings were reproduced in that book, and I published some news under the name of Henri de Bormes. As co-publisher of this book, I had the chance to meet painters of the area."
The artistic life is fruitful in those days in Ostend, many painters are there, James Ensor, Léon Spillaert, Constant Permeke, Felix Labisse. You will discover in the next issue works of these painters, in particular of Felix Labisse who remained in close touch with Alfred Courmes up to his death in 1980.
“Du vélo, elle en veut” 1929, oil on wood, (55x45cm) privately owned. ©adagp
" I painted quite a lot during my Ostend period. My paintings were shown at the Ostend Kursal, at the literary society, at Brussels Girard Gallery, at La Boussole in Antwerp with Labisse’s work. At the same time I sent some paintings to Paris, at the Independent salon and at Tuileries. In one of these places, I sold two paintings, “The Flemish farm” and “The vegetable seller”, but sales were rather scarce."
Extract of a journalist report of that time, by Georges Marlier, after the exhibition at La Boussole in Antwerp:
“Nothing is more satisfactory to the Critic than identifying a young artist, whose name is still unknown; but that he believes to have a bright future (…)”
Link to the whole report.
“The Flemish farm” 1928, oil on canvas, (91 x 73cm) privately owned. ©adagp
"Cheval au concours", 1928, lead pencil (22 x 16cm) privately owned ©adagp
"Le ramasseur de pommes de terre", 1928, ink on transparent paper, privately owned. ©adagp
"La carriole du boucher", 1928, lead pencil (24 x 34cm) privately owned. ©adagp
"I am ready to admit that I increased my experience at Le Louvre Museum, and in all museums of Belgium and Holland. In Brussels, the discovery of primitive paintings was decisive in my career. I saw anything I could of Bosch, Brueghel, Cranach, Rubens, Jordaens … My surrealism, if it exists, I started to decipher it in the paintings of the past. It will be the task of analysers of my work to detect its presence and its magnitude.”
“The world of Courmes is as strange as Dali’s world, as natural, but it creeps through finely disclosed and credible appearance, as precise as the most realistic 19th century painting, or even as a photograph. Such a realistic photograph creates a strange feeling of contrast”.René Huighe, La porte ouverte, 1945, in Surrealism of today.
To know more:
“The wounded man” of 1929 has been shown :
- 1977, Private exhibition, Jean Briance Gallery, from October 6th to November 12th, Paris.
- 1979, Retrospective, Painting museum, from May 16th to August 20th, Grenoble.
- 1980, “Les chapeaux” , Jean Briance Gallery, from October 2nd to November 15th, Paris.
- 1980/1981, “The realisms between revolution and reaction, 1919-1939”, Georges Pompidou center, from December 17th to April 20th, Paris.
- 1989, Retrospective, "La Piscine" Museum, from April 29th to June 11th.
- 1989, Retrospective,Sainte Croix Museum, from July 3rd to September 4th, Poitiers.
- 1989, Retrospective, Georges Pompidou center, from September 12th to October 22nd, Paris.
“The wounded man” of 1929 was quoted in following publication:
Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred Courmes, foreword by Michel Onfray,
Le Cherche midi publisher, 2003, Pages 58-59.
« The vegetable seller » of 1927 has been shown :
- 1928, Salon des Tuileries, Paris.
- 1989, Retrospective, "La Piscine" Museum, from April 29th to June 11th, Roubaix.
- 1989, Retrospective, Sainte Croix Museum, from July 3rd to September 4th, Poitiers.
- 1989, Retrospective, Georges Pompidou center, from September 12th to October 22nd, Paris.
- 1998, “The realists in the 1920 years”, museum/gallery of the Seita, from March 24th to June 1998, Paris.
“The vegetable seller” of 1927 was quoted in following publications:
- Jean-Marc Campagne, Alfred Courmes, Prospecteur de mirages entre ciel et chair, Photographs by Robert Doisneau, Jacqueline Hyde, Marc Vaux…Eric Losfeld publisher, 1973, Page 13.
- Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred Courmes, foreword by Michel Onfray, le cherche midi publisher, 2003, Pages 44-45.
« Du vélo … Elle en veut » of 1929 has been shown :
- 1991, private exhibition, Resche Gallery, November and December, Paris.
- 1998, “The realists in the 1920 years”, museum/gallert of the Seita, from March 24th to June 7th, Paris.
“Du vélo…Elle en veut” of 1929 was quoted in following publication :
Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred Courmes, foreword by Michel Onfray, le cherche midi publisher, 2003, Page 57.
“The Flemish farm” of 1928 has been shown:
- 1928, Salon des Tuileries, Paris.
- 1989, Retrospectiove, "La Piscine" museum, from April 29th to June 11th, Roubaix.
- 1989, Retrospective, Sainte Croix museum, from 3rd of July to September 4th, Poitiers.
- 1989, Retrospective, Georges Pompidou center, from September 12th to October 22nd, Paris.
- 1998 “The re alists in the 1920 years”, museum/gallery of the Seita, from March 24th to June 7th, Paris.
“The Flemish farm” of 1928 was quoted in following publications:
- Jean-Marc Campagne, Alfred Courmes, Prospecteur de mirages entre ciel et chair, Photographs by Robert Doisneau, Jacqueline Hyde, Marc Vaux, Eric Losfeld publisher, 1973, Pages 19 and 115.
- Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred Courmes, foreword by Michel Onfray, le cherche midi publisher, 2003, Pages 52-53.
Facebook