The Permeke Museum in Jabbeke, Belgium, reopens its Doors at the End of March

Constant Permeke (1886 – 1952) lived in Jabbeke for about 20 years. Born in Antwerp in 1886, he moved with his entire family to Ostend in 1892 where he lived during the 1920s, with a brief stay in England during the war years. From 1929 onwards, Permeke lived in Jabbeke, where he remained until his death in 1952.

Inne Gheeraert, coordinator-curator of the Permeke Museum, says : 'Constant Permeke is an important modernist artist who was highly praised throughout his life. He enjoyed success both in his own country and abroad. As a young artist, he joined the progressive art movements that was emerging in Brussels and Paris at that time. Although his work is generally classified as expressionism, Permeke chose a very unique style driven by deep humanism'.

Constant Permeke was much more than the painter of farmers and fishermen in dark, somber colors. The museum aims to break this one-sided view of the artist and show his international importance. The artist balanced in between European modernism and in the tradition of artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Gogh. The Permeke Museum now aims to become the knowledge center on Constant Permeke, bringing together the archive and knowledge about the artist to stimulate academic research.

Constant Permeke, Wiedster, 1931. Collectie Permekemuseum Jabbeke | Mu.ZEE Oostende. Foto : Guy Braeckman.

For Permeke, art and the daily life were closely connected. His oeuvre pulsates with lively, raw energy, but also breathes nostalgia. His attention was drawn to authentic human themes and the interconnectedness of people with each other and with nature. In his many landscapes and seascapes, nature takes over completely. More than the subject itself, for Permeke it was about the play and process of creation, the search and experimentation, the constant decision to continue or let go. He wanted to take risks and push boundaries in choosing his techniques, materials, and formats, which he brought together as collages. Fully in line with modernism, he reinvented his visual language time and again.

The Permeke Museum offers a permanent insight into some striking aspects of Permeke's life and work. Stories are told with artworks, everyday objects, archive materials, photos, and films. Two exhibitions will be held annually in the renovated sculpture studio, featuring artworks from the museum's collection and loans from private collectors and international museums. 

Main Image :Permekemuseum. Foto Yvan Mahieu