Works by the distinguished Belgian artist, Maurits Ver Elst (1924-1987), go on display at the Sayle Gallery, in Douglas, this month.
The exhibition, ‘Maurits Ver Elst Rediscovered: A Modern Belgian Master’, opens tomorrow (Friday) and features portrait, still-life and landscape paintings, mostly non-exhibited work held in the late artist’s family collection
Ver Elst worked in the renowned Flemish realism school of painting practised by generations of artists in Belgium (Flanders) in oils with its use of vibrant colours and technical mastery. Amongst his distinguished patrons, he was a former Court painter to the Kuwaiti Royal family in the 1960s and painted many portraits of the ruling family including the then Emir of Kuwait.
Many of these pieces were destroyed in the first Gulf War but fortunately a wide and varied body of work has been preserved by his family and will be on display at the Gallery.
Sayle Gallery chairman Damian Ciappelli said: ‘The Sayle Gallery has been in discussion for some time regarding the possibility of putting on this important exhibition and we are delighted to have been chosen by the artist’s widow Irena Willems Ver Elst together with the artist’s family to host this important retrospective exhibition.
‘The gallery wishes to record its sincere gratitude to both Mrs Willems Ver Elst and the artist’s family for their support and assistance.’
Such was the demand for his work during his lifetime, that he rarely held formal gallery exhibitions and his work is mostly held in private collections in Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and the United States.
His artistic practice saw him travel widely together with his family working in many countries including Belgian Congo, Spain, Kuwait, the United States and South Africa.
The exhibition runs until Sunday, February 28.