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3 unusual facts about James Ensor


James Ensor

The 1996 Belgian movie, Camping Cosmos, was inspired by drawings of James Ensor, in particular Carnaval sur la plage (1887), La mort poursuivant le troupeau des humains (1896), and Le bal fantastique (1889).

The Devil in the Belfry

There are many famous illustrations for this short tale, including one is by the Italian engraver Alberto Martini, which is very accurate in describing the final moment, and another by the Belgian artist James Ensor, which illustrates the moment when the stranger arrives in town.

The Folding Star

The novel also deals with Manners' emerging relationship with Marcel's father who curates a museum of symbolist paintings by Edgard Orst (modelled on Fernand Khnopff and James Ensor).


A Pilgrimage to San Isidro

The theme of the loss of identity in crowds in this painting can be seen as a precursor to expressionist painting, particularly the work of James Ensor.

Flemish painting

Although James Ensor stood apart from his contemporaries, this innovator in 19th-century art significantly influenced such 20th-century artists as Paul Klee, Emil Nolde, George Grosz, Alfred Kubin, Wols, Felix Nussbaum, and other expressionist and surrealist painters of the 20th century.

Museum David and Alice van Buuren

David van Buuren decorated his house with paintings from James Ensor, Joachim Patinir, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hercules Seghers, Pieter Jansz Saenredam, Tsuguharu Foujita, Kees van Dongen, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Fantin-Latour, Rik Wouters, Gustave De Smet, Xavier Mellery en Constant Permeke.

Rodolphe Wytsman

In 1883, Wytsman was a founding member of "Les XX", the famous avant-garde group in Brussels, inspired by the figure of Octave Maus, and founded by Frantz Charlet, Jean Delvin, Darío de Regoyos, Paul Du Bois, James Ensor, Willy Finch, Charles Goethals, Fernand Khnopff, Pericles Pantazis, Frans Simons, and Théodore Verstraete.


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