This book about the group of young belgian artists of the "Jeune Peinture Belge" was published in 1946 by Robert Delevoy, who founded in 1941 the famous Galerie Apollo, located next to the Brussels cathedral. Together with lawyer René Lust, who had an international network, Delevoy was the driving force behind the JPB, which was founded in 1945. In the short period of their existence (1945 to 1948), an impressive number of exhibitions of the JPB were held in Brussels, Paris, Oxford, The Hague, Stockholm, Milan, Zürich, Caïro and Alexandria ! Hereunder you will discover the most important members of the group and a number of paintings and works on paper exhibited at Group 2 Gallery, some of which are available for sale.
Cover of the book about the group of artists of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" Ed. Laconti 1975,
by Phil Mertens, former director of the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels.
The painting was executed by several members of the group.
by Phil Mertens, former director of the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels.
The painting was executed by several members of the group.
In 1947 the "Jeune Peinture Belge" exhibited in Stockholm and gathered at the belgian Embassy.
Gaston Bertrand is standing first from right. In the middle are Marc Mendelson, Georges Collignon & Louis Van Lint.
Mig Quinet is seated second from left, Odette Collon is at the right.
Gaston Bertrand is standing first from right. In the middle are Marc Mendelson, Georges Collignon & Louis Van Lint.
Mig Quinet is seated second from left, Odette Collon is at the right.
Marc Mendelson (London 1915 - Brussels 2013)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
Works in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
READ MORE about Marc Mendelson
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
Works in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
READ MORE about Marc Mendelson
"Still life with dish - Nature morte au plat" 1948
Oil on canvas, 130 x 166 cm
Exhibited at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Venice Biennale 1948, The Hague museum 1949, Ostend museum 1995
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
Oil on canvas, 130 x 166 cm
Exhibited at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Venice Biennale 1948, The Hague museum 1949, Ostend museum 1995
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
The artist in his atelier at the Chaussée de Charleroi in Brussels, 1948.
Photo by Roland d'Ursel
Photo by Roland d'Ursel
"Still life on blue background" 1948, oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cm
This fine still life has been painted shortly before the artist moved to abstraction in the early 1950's.
SOLD
This fine still life has been painted shortly before the artist moved to abstraction in the early 1950's.
SOLD
Exhibition of Rudolf Meerbergen, Marc Mendelson & Jan Cox.
Salle Lamorinière, Meir, Antwerp, 1943
In the background a small painting of a jug by Mendelson and his iconic "Nude in front of a cupboard", 1943
Robert Giron, director of the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels invited the trio to exhibit at the PBA.
Salle Lamorinière, Meir, Antwerp, 1943
In the background a small painting of a jug by Mendelson and his iconic "Nude in front of a cupboard", 1943
Robert Giron, director of the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels invited the trio to exhibit at the PBA.
"Still life with shells and (the same) jug" 1943, oil on canvas, 70 x 88 cm, monogram "M" top right
This "metaphysical" still life was exhibited in Buenos Aires (inscribed at the back) in 1947
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
This "metaphysical" still life was exhibited in Buenos Aires (inscribed at the back) in 1947
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
"My brushes - Mes pinceaux" 1944, oil on canvas
SOLD. Private collection, London
SOLD. Private collection, London
The "Young belgian Painters" attending Marc Mendelson's wedding, 1945
Front row : Serge Creuz, Mig Quinet, Anne Bonnet & Odette Collon
Standing a.o. Louis Van Lint, Antoine Mortier & Gaston Bertrand
Front row : Serge Creuz, Mig Quinet, Anne Bonnet & Odette Collon
Standing a.o. Louis Van Lint, Antoine Mortier & Gaston Bertrand
"The lantern" 1946, Oil on canvas
SOLD
SOLD
"Reclining nude" 1946, Oil on canvas
Exhibited at the "Salon de Mai", Paris, 1947
SOLD
Exhibited at the "Salon de Mai", Paris, 1947
SOLD
Marc Mendelson at Group 2 Gallery in 2003
"Lying Nude" 1946, ink drawing, 36,5 x 45 cm
Available
Available
"Still life with lemons" 1947, Oil on canvas
SOLD. Private collection, London
SOLD. Private collection, London
"Portrait of Jan Cox" 1948, Pencil drawing
Available
Available
Louis Van Lint (Brussels 1909 - 1986) photo Serge Vandercam
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (Young Belgian Painters 1945-48)
Works in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum and the Uffizi in Florence.
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (Young Belgian Painters 1945-48)
Works in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum and the Uffizi in Florence.
"Woman with a feather hat" 1944, oil on canvas, 79 x 57 cm
Full page colour illustration in "Louis Van Lint" by Baron Philippe Roberts-Jones
Exhibitions : Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp 1955, Palais des Beaux-Arts Charleroi 1958,
Center for Fine Arts Brussels 1978, "Art in Belgium 1880-1950", Banque Bruxelles Lambert Brussels 1980, "Vies de femmes 1830-1980"
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
Full page colour illustration in "Louis Van Lint" by Baron Philippe Roberts-Jones
Exhibitions : Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp 1955, Palais des Beaux-Arts Charleroi 1958,
Center for Fine Arts Brussels 1978, "Art in Belgium 1880-1950", Banque Bruxelles Lambert Brussels 1980, "Vies de femmes 1830-1980"
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
"Promenade at Fontainebleau" 1944 - Napoleon flanked by two generals
Oil on panel, 39 x 50 cm
Oil on panel, 39 x 50 cm
"Soldiers among ruins" 1944, Oil on canvas
Exhibited at Gallery Apollo, Brussels, 1946
SOLD
READ MORE about Louis Van Lint
Exhibited at Gallery Apollo, Brussels, 1946
SOLD
READ MORE about Louis Van Lint
"Landscape with trees" 1941, Watercolour, 35 x 55 cm
A fine work announcing the forthcoming abstract period of the artist
SOLD
A fine work announcing the forthcoming abstract period of the artist
SOLD
"Fisherman nets" 1950, Gouache
SOLD
SOLD
Gaston Bertrand (Liège 1910 - Brussels 1994)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
"Man in the park" 1942, oil on board, 30 x 23 cm
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]
"The crowd - la foule" 1942
Colour pencil on paper, 26 x 35 cm
Sold
Colour pencil on paper, 26 x 35 cm
Sold
"Interior with bed" 1944, watercolour on paper, 26,5 x 35,5 cm
Available
Available
At the backside of "Interior with bed"
"The kitchen in Gedinne (Namur)" 1943, watercolour on paper
Available
"The kitchen in Gedinne (Namur)" 1943, watercolour on paper
Available
"Man in the crowd - Homme dans la foule" 1945
Oil on canvas, 45 x 54,5 cm
Sold
Oil on canvas, 45 x 54,5 cm
Sold
"Architecture" (Palais des Académies, Brussels) 1948
Watercolour on paper, 27 x 37 cm
Sold
Watercolour on paper, 27 x 37 cm
Sold
"Yellow landscape - Paysage jaune" 1947, Oil on canvas, 65 x 81 cm
Exhibitions : Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, 1947 & 1952, Venice Biennial 1948, Bergen, Norway, 1952
Sold
READ MORE about Gaston Bertrand
Exhibitions : Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, 1947 & 1952, Venice Biennial 1948, Bergen, Norway, 1952
Sold
READ MORE about Gaston Bertrand
Mig Quinet (Charleroi 1906 - Brussels 2001)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
"Stove" 1940, gouache, 30 x 25 cm
Available
Available
"Table with carafe on red background" 1946, oil on canvas, 40 x 70 cm
Exhibited at the Ixelles Museum, 2013
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or [email protected]
Exhibited at the Ixelles Museum, 2013
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or [email protected]
"the table with watercolors" 1946, oil on canvas, 40 x 70 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Submarine" 1946, oil on canvas, 54 x 81 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Table with watercolors and small torse" 1948, Gouache & pastel, 47 x 59 cm
Exhibited at Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels 1953, Ixelles Museum 2013
SOLD
Exhibited at Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels 1953, Ixelles Museum 2013
SOLD
"Carrousel" 1949, watercolour on paper, 52 x 67 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Landscape in the Ardennes" (Ollomont) 1948, oil on canvas, 60 x 81 cm
The artist is shifting to abstraction at the end of the 1940's
SOLD
READ MORE about Mig Quinet
The artist is shifting to abstraction at the end of the 1940's
SOLD
READ MORE about Mig Quinet
Anne Bonnet (Brussels 1908 - 1960)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
"Still life with vegetables" ca 1946, oil on panel, 50 x 65 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Still life with shells" 1946, oil on panel, 50 x 60 cm
Exhibitions : "Jeune Peinture Belge", Stockholm, 1947 & Group 2 Gallery, 2013
Private Collection
Exhibitions : "Jeune Peinture Belge", Stockholm, 1947 & Group 2 Gallery, 2013
Private Collection
"Composition" 1950, oil on canvas, 52 x 66 cm, one of her first abstract paintings
Sold
READ MORE about Anne Bonnet
Sold
READ MORE about Anne Bonnet
Willy ANTHOONS (Mechelen 1911 - Paris 1982)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
Sculptor and painter
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge" (1945-48)
Sculptor and painter
"Abstract composition" 1950's, ink & watercolour on paper, 40 x 28,5 cm
Available
Available
"Composition" 1962, gouache, 26 x 19,5 cm
Inspired by stained glass windows of the church of Noisy-le-Grand
Available
Inspired by stained glass windows of the church of Noisy-le-Grand
Available
Jan Cox (The Hague 1919 - Antwerp 1980)
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
Founding member of "La Jeune Peinture Belge"
"Street view in Antwerp" 1942, oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cm, signed "Jan" lower left
Private collection
Private collection
"Still life with carafe" 1943, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm
Exhibited at Galerie Apollo, Brussels 1945 & Group 2 Gallery, 2015
SOLD
READ MORE about Jan Cox
Exhibited at Galerie Apollo, Brussels 1945 & Group 2 Gallery, 2015
SOLD
READ MORE about Jan Cox
Jean Milo (1906 - 1993)
"Crouching nude" 1946, pencil drawing, 33 x 25,5 cm
Inscription "A Robert et Suzy" (Delevoy, founders of galerie Apollo in Brussels)
Available
Inscription "A Robert et Suzy" (Delevoy, founders of galerie Apollo in Brussels)
Available
"Tribute to wines - Le culte du vin" 1948, oil on canvas, 82 x 102 cm
Private collection
Private collection
"Large hierophany" 1950, oil on canvas, 195 x 97 cm (Sold)
Tribute to the stained glass windows of the Chartres cathedral
Private collection, U.S.A.
READ MORE about Jean Milo
Tribute to the stained glass windows of the Chartres cathedral
Private collection, U.S.A.
READ MORE about Jean Milo
Jean Boquet (1908-1976)
"Abstract composition" 1950, gouache, 25 x 32 cm
Available
Available
Antoine Mortier (1908-1999)
"Nude 1942", ink drawing, 30 x 24 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Coffee grinder - Moulin à café" 1946, oil on canvas, 50 x 73 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Two trees - deux arbres" 1946, oil on canvas, 50 x 73 cm
SOLD
SOLD
"Variation IV blue Torso" 1949, oil on canvas, 118 x 76 cm
Exhibited at Group 2 Gallery in 2003 : Mortier & Van Anderlecht, Sign & Gesture
Private collection
READ MORE about Antoine Mortier
Exhibited at Group 2 Gallery in 2003 : Mortier & Van Anderlecht, Sign & Gesture
Private collection
READ MORE about Antoine Mortier
Jo Delahaut (Liège 1911 - Brussels 1992)
Delahaut was the first member of the group shifting to abstraction in 1946
Delahaut was the first member of the group shifting to abstraction in 1946
"Untitled" 1949, Gouache on paper, 15,5 x 25 cm
Exhibitions : Fine Arts Museum Mons 1987, Tallinn Museum, Estonia & National Museum Bucarest, 2002
SOLD
READ MORE about Jo Delahaut
Exhibitions : Fine Arts Museum Mons 1987, Tallinn Museum, Estonia & National Museum Bucarest, 2002
SOLD
READ MORE about Jo Delahaut
Pol BURY (La Louvière 1922 - Paris 2005)
Member of the Jeune Peinture Belge who became famous for his "Kinetic Sculptures"
Member of the Jeune Peinture Belge who became famous for his "Kinetic Sculptures"
"Woman" 1947, oil on board, 58,5 x 78,5 cm
SOLD
SOLD
The “Young Belgian Painters”: Context and Foundation (1945–1948)
In the post-war years, young artists in Brussels joined forces under the name Young Belgian Painters (JBS, Jeune Peinture Belge). The group was founded in 1945 at the initiative of Robert Delevoy (founder of Galerie Apollo in Brussels) and lawyer René Lust, who used his international network to open doors for exhibitions at home and abroad. The JBS offered an innovative response to the fractures of war: an art that placed freedom, experimentation, and modern sensibility at its core, setting the tone for post-war Belgian modernism.
Although the JBS lasted only from 1945 to 1948, its impact on Belgian modern art was considerable. The artists developed personal trajectories between figuration and abstraction, exploring materials, colour, and composition through a modernist lens. For collectors of 20th-century Belgian art, the JBS represents a key chapter — short-lived but rich in artistic output, exhibitions, and international recognition.
The organization operated through jury selections, group exhibitions, and publications that enhanced its visibility. Galerie Apollo served as a bridge between studio and public, while collaborations with institutions and embassies fostered international exchange. A network of critics and patrons helped launch careers and encouraged early museum acquisitions, which would later define the market presence of JBS artists. Thus, a new generation of young Belgian artists quickly gained a stage.
Although the JBS lasted only from 1945 to 1948, its impact on Belgian modern art was considerable. The artists developed personal trajectories between figuration and abstraction, exploring materials, colour, and composition through a modernist lens. For collectors of 20th-century Belgian art, the JBS represents a key chapter — short-lived but rich in artistic output, exhibitions, and international recognition.
The organization operated through jury selections, group exhibitions, and publications that enhanced its visibility. Galerie Apollo served as a bridge between studio and public, while collaborations with institutions and embassies fostered international exchange. A network of critics and patrons helped launch careers and encouraged early museum acquisitions, which would later define the market presence of JBS artists. Thus, a new generation of young Belgian artists quickly gained a stage.
Aesthetics and Themes: From Figuration to Abstraction
The artists of the JBS moved between poetic figuration, lyrical abstraction, and geometric order. Matter, line, and colour acquired meaning on their own. Still lifes, interiors, and figures evolved into rhythm, plane, and structure — often infused with musicality and calligraphic accents, emblematic of the renewal spirit within the Young Belgian Painters.
This open attitude explains why the group remains relevant today to curators and collectors alike: works from this period reveal the transition from figuration to post-war abstraction in Belgium while resonating with broader European movements. Though rooted in a Flemish and Brussels context, the visual language is decidedly international, intersecting with Surrealism, Lyrical Abstraction, and early Geometric Abstraction.
Material exploration was central: oil paint, gouache, and ink on paper created delicate transitions from matte to satin finishes; palettes ranged from muted earth tones to vivid colour fields. Compositional structures, serial motifs, and subtle variations invited a musical reading of the work — like a visual score — making JBS works particularly attractive for curatorial design and thematic collections around gesture, colour, and structure.
This open attitude explains why the group remains relevant today to curators and collectors alike: works from this period reveal the transition from figuration to post-war abstraction in Belgium while resonating with broader European movements. Though rooted in a Flemish and Brussels context, the visual language is decidedly international, intersecting with Surrealism, Lyrical Abstraction, and early Geometric Abstraction.
Material exploration was central: oil paint, gouache, and ink on paper created delicate transitions from matte to satin finishes; palettes ranged from muted earth tones to vivid colour fields. Compositional structures, serial motifs, and subtle variations invited a musical reading of the work — like a visual score — making JBS works particularly attractive for curatorial design and thematic collections around gesture, colour, and structure.
Key Figures: Individual Paths within a Common Front
Among the prominent members were Marc Mendelson, Gaston Bertrand, Louis Van Lint, Mig Quinet, and Anne Bonnet. In addition, Pierre Alechinsky, Antoine Mortier, Jo Delahaut, and Pol Bury played vital roles in broadening the group’s abstract vocabulary.
Marc Mendelson evolved from still lifes and portraits to geometric abstraction in the early 1950s; his work was shown at the Venice Biennale (1948). Louis Van Lint combined sensitive colour harmonies with structural clarity and later became the leading figure of Lyrical Abstraction in Belgium. Gaston Bertrand, inspired by architecture and rhythm, announced abstraction through his sober visual language. Mig Quinet and Anne Bonnet refined the passage from figuration to abstraction, creating balanced compositions of bold colour fields. Antoine Mortier reduced reality to monumental signs; Jo Delahaut pioneered Geometric Abstraction; and Pol Bury emerged as a forerunner of Kinetic Art.
Several JBS artists are represented in major international museums, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Their names form a core reference list for anyone seeking top-tier works by Belgian modernists in both private and institutional collections.
Within the group, academic networks and independent studios intersected, explaining the stylistic diversity of the JBS. This cross-pollination continues to provide art historians and collectors with clear provenance and exhibition histories essential for evaluation and acquisition.
Marc Mendelson evolved from still lifes and portraits to geometric abstraction in the early 1950s; his work was shown at the Venice Biennale (1948). Louis Van Lint combined sensitive colour harmonies with structural clarity and later became the leading figure of Lyrical Abstraction in Belgium. Gaston Bertrand, inspired by architecture and rhythm, announced abstraction through his sober visual language. Mig Quinet and Anne Bonnet refined the passage from figuration to abstraction, creating balanced compositions of bold colour fields. Antoine Mortier reduced reality to monumental signs; Jo Delahaut pioneered Geometric Abstraction; and Pol Bury emerged as a forerunner of Kinetic Art.
Several JBS artists are represented in major international museums, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Their names form a core reference list for anyone seeking top-tier works by Belgian modernists in both private and institutional collections.
Within the group, academic networks and independent studios intersected, explaining the stylistic diversity of the JBS. This cross-pollination continues to provide art historians and collectors with clear provenance and exhibition histories essential for evaluation and acquisition.
Exhibitions and International Visibility
Between 1945 and 1948, the JBS exhibited in Brussels (Palais des Beaux-Arts) and internationally in Paris, Oxford, The Hague, Stockholm, Milan, Zurich, Cairo, and Alexandria — a remarkable achievement within such a short timeframe. This broad exposure made the JBS an export symbol of Belgian modernity, situating the Young Belgian Painters firmly within a European context.
For today’s audiences and researchers, this trajectory illustrates how Belgian art entered into direct dialogue with European developments immediately after the war. The publishing and catalogue culture surrounding the group, active from 1946 onward, greatly enhanced its visibility and critical reception.
The international agenda was accompanied by catalogues, press reviews, and posters, which today serve as valuable documentary material. For curators, these archives are essential for reconstructing exhibition histories; for collectors, they provide provenance and enhance market transparency. Together, they confirm the JBS as an indispensable reference for anyone focused on Belgian modernism and the rise of the Young Belgian Painters.
For today’s audiences and researchers, this trajectory illustrates how Belgian art entered into direct dialogue with European developments immediately after the war. The publishing and catalogue culture surrounding the group, active from 1946 onward, greatly enhanced its visibility and critical reception.
The international agenda was accompanied by catalogues, press reviews, and posters, which today serve as valuable documentary material. For curators, these archives are essential for reconstructing exhibition histories; for collectors, they provide provenance and enhance market transparency. Together, they confirm the JBS as an indispensable reference for anyone focused on Belgian modernism and the rise of the Young Belgian Painters.
