From 1936 to 1942, Amédée Cortier enjoys his training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. On the one hand, his oeuvre consists of paintings that he makes in various media (acrylic, oil, gouache, aquarelle, India ink or bistre, among others) on panel, paper or cardboard. On the other hand, he makes pen drawings, reliefs and models. Around 1950, influenced by the exhibition Le Cercle Artistique (Ghent, 1949), he applies himself to a short-lived geometric-abstract experiment, but decides after this to return to embrace his figurative visual language. He begins with painting rural scenes (1940), still lives and portraits of women (1950), and evolves towards a stark, simplified figurative language in schematic compositions. André Lothe (1885 - 1962) exerts an important influence on him with his Traité de la figure (1950) and Traité du paysage (1939). Around 1964 Cortier begins to paint resolute abstract and from 1966 - 1967 he favours colour over the relations between the forms. The transition to acrylic paint is to be understood in the same context. This medium helps him to heighten the intensity of his colours. His stark works are witness to a sense of natural law, but also leave room for intuition. Ultimately Cortier changes over to monochrome, by which he creates mutually coherent ensembles in the form of diptychs and triptychs. With his reliefs (1968), he evolves from the traditional painting to painting as object. Beginning in the 1970’s his work is completely dominated by colour, built up around a stark composition and a unity between colour and form. He gains public recognition with these works.

Cortier sees his own oeuvre confirmed in the work by the artist Ellsworth Kelly (1923 - 2015). Under the impulse of Peter Struycken (1939) he meets Kelly in 1976. As a member of Het Antenneke, his fascination grows for the Golden Ratio, an important compositional rule in his oeuvre. His friendship with Yves De Smet (1946 - 2004) is of crucial importance for his artistic career. He is not only a like-minded artist friend, but is also an important promoter and organiser of exhibitions dedicated to Cortier, such as Horizonnen & horizontalen (Horizons & horizontals) (1976). Cortier becomes a member of the Ghent group organised by De Smet called Plus-Groep, a collective of Ghent constructivists that are seeking the unity between form and colour. Via Plus-Kern - Centre for Constructive Design, established by De Smet and others in 1969, Cortier is actively promoted. This occurs through the medium of publications such as Plus-Nieuws, though also through participation in international exhibitions. In 1973 he is internationally recognised with the Sikken Prize.

4 October 1921

Amédée Cortier is born in Ghent

1940

Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent.

1955

He maintains contacts with the artist group Het Antenneke. 

1958

First exhibition in the Ghent gallery Vyncke-Van Eyck.

1960

The artist shows his stark compositions from the years 1958-60 at a second solo exhibition in the Ghent gallery Vyncke-Van Eyck.

1962

Is selected for the Europa Prize by the City of Ostend with Hommage à Gust De Smet (1961), Epuration (1961) and Accent grave (before April 1962). The three works are selected by the jury for the exhibition in the Kursaal of Ostend.

September 1962

Cortier exhibits completely abstract canvases in Galerie Vyncke-Van Eyck.

1964

Exhibits in the gallery Au Cheval de Verre in Brussels. During this year he begins to convincingly paint abstract. Around March and April, four paintings by him are taken up in the exhibition Kunst van vandaag (Art of Today), in which lyrical and geometric abstract works are to be seen alongside contemporary figurative painting. His paintings hang there next to those of Gilbert Decock, Jo Delahaut, Jozef Peeters, Luc Peire, Victor Servranckx, Gilbert Swimberghe, Guy Vandenbranden and Dan Van Severen.

He exhibits, in addition to 37 other participating artists, at the exhibition Gekonstrueerde abstrakte kunst in the Brussels Galerie de la Madeleine. It is an homage to the art critic Jean Séaux.

His choice for the geometric abstract is confirmed in the autumn of 1964 in his exhibition in the Galerie Oranje in Ghent.

1965

He paints a number of compositions that can be viewed as triptychs. 

1966

Cortier is taken up into the Plus-Groep, established in 1966 by Yves De Smet, Willy Plompen (1942) and Jan Van den Abbeel (1943). He participates in the exhibition Plus in the Hoger Sint-Lucasinstituut in Ghent, along with De Smet, Plompen, Van den Abbeel, Albert Rubens (1944), Gerard Geerinckx and René Heyvaert (1929 - 1984).

1966 - 1967

Cortier begins to work with acrylic paint in order to heighten the light intensity of the colour. In his work lies a greater emphasis on colour and less on the relations between the various forms.

Exhibits in Galerie Foncke in Ghent.

1968

Participates in the exhibition Speeltijd (Playtime) in Bruges, the exhibition Groupe Plus: Cortier, De Smet, Plompen, Van den Abbeel in Florence and the exhibition Constructive art België-Luxemburg in gallery Disque Rouge in Brussels.

Begins to create reliefs.

1969

Takes part in Art construit en Belgique (Art made in Belgium), organised by the Tournai art circle SIGMA 13 and in Kleur + Licht (Colour + Light). This is an international exhibition of contemporary constructive art in Galerie Waumans in Sint-Niklaas.

Thanks to a mention for the Prize for Painting of the city of Knokke, Cortier is selected for the accompanying exhibition in the Casino of the city.

He is awarded the bronze medal for the Europa Prize for painting (Ostend, 1969). His work is shown in the Kursaal.

Is selected for Forum van de Grafiek: Forumprijs 69 in Ghent.

A solo exhibition is organised in his honour in the city hall of Roeselare by the local Friends of Contemporary Art.

Participates in the exhibitions Plus-Kern bij Carlos Demeester.

At the end of the year, Cortier receives a solo exhibition in Plus-Kern, at which he shows canvases, recent reliefs and the model Kleuromgeving. This exposition places him within a professional avant-garde context. The work there is to be seen announces his evolution in the 1970’s.

1971

Definitively replaces oil paint with acrylic.

Receives a solo exhibition in the Groninger Museum voor Stad en Lande, in collaboration with Plus-Kern.

Takes part in the group exhibition Hedendaagse Konstruktieve Kunst in België in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Leiden.

His works are exhibited once again by Plus-Kern.

1972-73

The exhibition Aquarel en Gouache is set up for the Ministry for National Education and Netherlandish Culture in various locations in Belgium and is in 1972 - 1973 to be seen during a tour through Brazil.

Cortier’s work is exhibited by the Centrum voor Kunst en Kultuur in Ghent in collaboration with Plus-Kern and the Provinciale Dienst voor Kunstambachten.

1976

His work is exhibited in Horizonnen & horizontalen by Yves De Smet.

Amédée Cortier dies on 11 February 1976 in Ghent.

Sergio Servellón

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One describes the abstract oeuvre of Dan Van Severen with terms such as geometric abstraction, Formalism or Minimalism. His spiritual, meditative, neo-sacred fervour is distinctive. Complex with regards to context (an ultimate reality, a transcendental truth) originates from a reduction of form. Van Severen retains only the essential. With this, he makes a radical distinction between form and content. His works have a certain distance by which he breaks every relationship with the viewer and himself. Simple geometric forms (rectangle, square, rhombus, circle and oval) determine his compositions. The works completely stand on their own with their interplay of lines and colours referring to each other, or the relationships between paper and ink and foreground and background. The viewer finds no point of entry and no approach to the artwork. The expectation of content is not fulfilled and the projected desires are obstructed. Each work refers to the previous, which indeed ensures that the oeuvre achieves a large coherence. Thus is Van Severen’s later production recognised by the sober cross-shaped compositions, which are the result of a life-long investigation into the square and rectangle.

After his studies at the Sint-Lucasinstituut in Ghent (1941 - 1948) and the Academy of Antwerp (1951), in 1957 he creates his first work from a more fundamentalist inclination. In that same year he takes part in the Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst (1956). The following year he becomes a co-founder of G58. In 1959 he begins to teach at the HRITO (Bruges). Later he teaches at the Sint-Lucasinstituut in Ghent. In 1961, Van Severen takes part in the fourth group exhibition of G58. His oeuvre evolves through the 1950’s and 60’s from expression to essence: from lyrical assays of colour within a restricted art of painting to a nearly colourless execution of lines after 1969. He participates in the Biennale of São Paulo (1967), Documenta IV (Kassel, 1968) and the Venice Biennale (1970). In 1974, for the first time an overview exhibition is dedicated to him in the Palace of Fine Arts (Brussels), which is the first in a series of many that shall follow in Ghent, Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Ostend. His tempera works are shown for the first time in 1978 in Galerij Dobbelhoef in Kessel, and in 1980 an overview exhibition of his graphic work is hung in the Galerij S65 in Aalst. The first Liège contacts arise, which shall later result in a two-fold architectural collaboration with the architect Bruno Albert (1941). In the beginning of the 1980’s, Van Severen creates the series Alfabet/Alphabet in which he synthesises five drawings (cross, rhombus, circle and diagonals) into a single collective drawing. In 1981, the series Kruisweg/Stations of the Cross comes about, through which he systematically adds a straight line to the cross of the first drawing. In 1984 he repeats this compositional procedure in metal. The artist is lauded with the Triennial Culture Prize for Visual Arts of Ghent (1984). A new Alfabet series comes about in 1995 (ink on canvas on panel).

1927

Dan Van Severen is born in Lokeren.

1941 - 1948

He studies at the Hoger Sint-Lucasinstituut in Ghent with Gerard Hermans, among others.

He gets to know the work of Paul Cézanne (1839 - 1906), Angelico (fra) (1387 - 1455), Piero della Francesca (1410/1420 - 1492) and the Flemish Expressionist Albert Servaes (1883 - 1966). Van Severen befriends Luc Claus, with whom he shall exhibit various times later.

1951

Begins his stay in Antwerp (until 1959). After a preparatory year under Antoon Marstboom (1905 - 1960), he studies under Julien Creytens (1897 - 1972) at the Academy of Antwerp (until 1954).

1955

Starts artistic career and participates for the first time in the group exhibition in Antwerp with classmates Ad Molendijk (1929) and Wybrand Ganzevoort (1930).

1957

On the advice of Marc Callewaert and Antoon Marstboom, Van Severen takes part in Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst.

Frequent contacts with the writers Hugues C. Pernath (1931 - 1975), Paul Snoek (1933 - 1981) and Ivo Michiels (1923 - 2012).

1958

Founding member of the G58-Hessenhuis.

1959

Moves to Bruges, where he lives until 1971. Becomes a teacher at the HRITO (Hoger Rijksinstituut voor Technisch Onderwijs).

Comes into contact with the group Raaklijn.

1961

The artist participates in the fourth group exhibition of G58.

1964

Regular contacts with Roger Raveel (1921 - 2013), Hugo Claus (1929 - 2008) and Hugues C. Pernath.

1966

The Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent purchases two drawings by the artist.

1967

Takes part in the Biennale of São Paulo with Vic Gentils, Félix Roulin (1931), Serge Vandercam and Jef Verheyen.

An issue of the publication Het 5^de Wiel is dedicated to Van Severen.

1968

Participates in Documenta IV in Kassel.

1969

Makes his last oil painting, Blue Composition, which is taken up by the collection of the SMAK in Ghent.

1970

Participates in the 35^th Biennale of Venice, along with Bram Bogaert, Georges Collignon, Jean-Paul Laenen, Walter Leblanc and Jef Verheyen.

1971

Dan Van Severen moves to Ghent and becomes a teacher of painting at the Hoger Sint-Lucasinstituut.

1972

At the Documenta of Kassel, he is seriously intrigued by the work of Brice Marden (1938), Robert Ryman (1930) and Richard Serra (1939).

1974

The first overview exhibition is organised in the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels.

1975

The artist makes a painting with tempera for the first time on canvas.

1976

The first drawings on Indian paper come about.

The theme of the ‘lattice’ becomes more and more prominent and culminates in De kruisweg/The Stations of the Cross in 1981.

1978

First exhibition of works on tempera canvas in Galerij Dobbelhoef, Kessel. Overview of the graphic work in Galerij S65 (Aalst) on the occasion of the publication of the folio with the poems of Hugo Claus: Antiphon, bij 4 etsen van Dan Van Severen/Antiphon, with 4 sketches by Dan Van Severen. 

1980

With the exhibition Dan Van Severen. Recente werken, schilderijen—tekeningen—etsen—werktekeningen. 1955-79 in the Richard Foncke Gallery in Ghent, the first contacts are made with the Liège circle of friends.

1981

Van Severen regularly refers to the The Stations of the Cross by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and that of Barnett Newman (1958). At the exhibition in the Richard Foncke Gallery he exhibits the Kruisweg/Stations of the Cross. 

It consists of a series of 14 drawings (Chinese ink on Indian paper) and a sketch, which is followed up by an iron sculpture in 1985.

With Alfabet/Alphabet, a series of 6 drawings on Indian paper, various motifs are indicated. The same theme repeatedly comes back in the following years.

1982

Retrospective exhibition in Ghent, Eindhoven and Amsterdam. Publication of Dan Van Severen by Leo Van Damme (Foncke Editions).

1984

Receives the Triennial Culture Prize for Visual Arts of the City of Ghent.

1985

Exhibition of the metal Kruisweg (Stations of the Cross) and presentation of the publication Dan Van Severen. Etsen in the Richard Foncke Gallery.

From April 1985 until June 1986 he stays in Liège (Outremeuse), where he collaborates with architect Bruno Albert and engineer René Greisch (1929 - 2000) for the Mardaga publishing house. It is the first time that Van Severen accepts a project for the integration of a work into a building. He is involved in the design project from the beginning, which is for him indeed essential in order to arrive at a successful result. The collaboration with Albert is continued during other projects.

He participates in Investigations in Liège, where he creates a sculpture and a drawing in situ. 

1986

Returns to Ghent.

1989

First solo exhibition in Japan in the Shimada Yamahushi gallery.

Presentation of two private collections with work by Van Severen in Atelier 340 in Brussels and Een Kollektie in Galerij XXI in Antwerp.

1992

Overview exhibition in Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens (Deurle) on the occasion of his 65^th birthday.

The exhibition in Galerij S65 contains, among other works, five works on canvas in which he takes up the motif of the alphabet again.

1993

First presentation of the dubbele tekeningen in Galerie Conrads in Düsseldorf. They refer to the drawings in the Boek, which he had began work on in 1986. 

1995

The available oeuvre of Van Severen is purchased by the Groeninge Museum of Bruges. His work (paintings and graphic ensemble) receives a permanent position within the museum.

1997

Beginning of the second collaboration with architect Bruno Albert for the project Codic, Place Saint-Lambert (Liège). The Place Saint-Lambert is being renovated. Van Severen ensures for the delineation of the terraces. 

He designs the logo for the new series Haute Pierre of Les Editions La Pierre d’Alun (Brussels).

1998

Retrospective exhibition in the Provincial Museum of Modern Art of Ostend. The emphasis lies upon the works on canvas after 1970 from private collections. For the first time, a significant number of panels are shown that frequently form the precursor to, or the variation of, works on a larger format, and that previously were scarcely or never exhibited before.

Beginning in March 1998, the collective drawing of the Alfabet/Alphabet is used as a frame for the publication of the Orde der Geneesheren (Association of physicians).

2000

Premier exhibition of the new Richard Foncke Gallery.

On the occasion of Interieur Kortrijk, an exhibition is organised in the seat of the BBL Kortrijk with Van Severen’s work and that of his sons Maarten (1956 - 2005) and Fabiaan (1957).

2000 - 2009

At the end of his life the artist evolves towards the figurative. 

Dan Van Severen dies on 12 February 2009 in Ghent.

Sergio Servellón

CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons 4.0)

No biography available