The Flemish taxpayer acquires "De vertroostende maagd" ("The Consoling Virgin") by James Ensor for 3.75 million euros.
The 1892 masterpiece is on display in the exhibition "Zeldzaam en onmisbaar" ("Rare and Indispensable") at the MAS in Antwerp. Afterward, the painting will find a place in the permanent collection of the MSK in Ghent.
The painting "De vertroostende maagd" has been on the list of masterpieces for 17 years, a list of rare and indispensable artworks recognized by Flanders. Ensor first exhibited it in 1893 with the artists' group Les XX in Brussels and kept it in his studio for the rest of his life.
"'De vertroostende maagd' is a unique painting and I had sworn never to part with it," wrote James Ensor to his friend and collector Edgard Picard. It depicts Ensor himself, taking the place of Mary at the moment the birth of Jesus Christ is announced.
It is considered one of the last works from Ensor's most creative period between 1885 and 1893, a time when, according to experts, he was at his peak.