MARC. EEMANS
Belgian surrealist painter, poet and art critic
Belgian surrealist painter, poet and art critic
Marc. Eemans (Dendermonde 1907 - Brussels 1998)
Call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected] for information.
Call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected] for information.
1925
SURREALIST PERIOD
In 1925 Eemans is overwhelmed upon reading Breton's surrealist manifesto. He meets Irène Hamoir, who becomes his companion. In 1926 they both join the surrealist group "Société du Mystère" around René Magritte, with poet Paul Nougé, Marcel Lecomte, E.L.T. Mesens, Camille Goemans, Louis Scutenaire and André Souris.
In 1930 Irène Hamoir married poet Louis Scutenaire.
SURREALIST PERIOD
In 1925 Eemans is overwhelmed upon reading Breton's surrealist manifesto. He meets Irène Hamoir, who becomes his companion. In 1926 they both join the surrealist group "Société du Mystère" around René Magritte, with poet Paul Nougé, Marcel Lecomte, E.L.T. Mesens, Camille Goemans, Louis Scutenaire and André Souris.
In 1930 Irène Hamoir married poet Louis Scutenaire.
Marc. Eemans "Soccer match" 1927, Oil on canvas, 95 x 120 cm
Signed and dated below left.
Provenance : collection Victor Servranckx.
Available for sale
This painting was published in the magazine "Variétés" founded by Paul-Gustave Van Hecke and E.L.T. Mesens.
After painting this work Eemans discovered that flemish poet Paul Van Ostaijen (1896-1928) had written a "grotesque" poem entitled
"Real soccer match" in which the goalkeeper was beheaded when the ball hit him hard at close range...
Eemans wrote a letter to Van Ostaijen to inform him about this extraordinary coincidence, but the latter had just passed away...
Signed and dated below left.
Provenance : collection Victor Servranckx.
Available for sale
This painting was published in the magazine "Variétés" founded by Paul-Gustave Van Hecke and E.L.T. Mesens.
After painting this work Eemans discovered that flemish poet Paul Van Ostaijen (1896-1928) had written a "grotesque" poem entitled
"Real soccer match" in which the goalkeeper was beheaded when the ball hit him hard at close range...
Eemans wrote a letter to Van Ostaijen to inform him about this extraordinary coincidence, but the latter had just passed away...
René Magritte "The secret player" 1927, oil on canvas, 152 x 195 cm
Acquired by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels at Christie's New York in 1995
Stephanie D'Alessandro, curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, commented this work as follows :
"I think that part of Magritte's project is to play with things that are commonplace, and in turning them on their head, bringing out the strangeness of looking at paint on canvas and expecting to see something real in it. His project is not to give us a narrative but instead to evoke a mood, to make us aware of those habits that we have every time we look at a picture. So it's frustrating, in a way, to look at the picture and look for meaning and walk away with a sense of foreboding perhaps, a sense of disquiet. And that's actually Magritte's meaning"
Acquired by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels at Christie's New York in 1995
Stephanie D'Alessandro, curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, commented this work as follows :
"I think that part of Magritte's project is to play with things that are commonplace, and in turning them on their head, bringing out the strangeness of looking at paint on canvas and expecting to see something real in it. His project is not to give us a narrative but instead to evoke a mood, to make us aware of those habits that we have every time we look at a picture. So it's frustrating, in a way, to look at the picture and look for meaning and walk away with a sense of foreboding perhaps, a sense of disquiet. And that's actually Magritte's meaning"
1928
First solo exhibition at Gallery "L'époque" run by E.L.T. Mesens and financed by mecenas Paul-Gustave Van Hecke.
First solo exhibition at Gallery "L'époque" run by E.L.T. Mesens and financed by mecenas Paul-Gustave Van Hecke.
Marc. Eemans "L'appétit du silence" 1928, Oil on canvas, 97 x 130 cm
Signed and dated upper left.
Provenance : collection Victor Servranckx.
Available for sale
Eemans painted a Sunset at sea with mountains at the bottom. On top a lighthouse appears upside down together with the same sea and mountains. The lady, maybe his companion Irène Hamoir, is seated in a floating armchair in this dreamlike scene.
Signed and dated upper left.
Provenance : collection Victor Servranckx.
Available for sale
Eemans painted a Sunset at sea with mountains at the bottom. On top a lighthouse appears upside down together with the same sea and mountains. The lady, maybe his companion Irène Hamoir, is seated in a floating armchair in this dreamlike scene.
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Irène Hamoir (1906 - 1994)
Belgian surrealist poet and writer. She became the companion of Marc Eemans in 1925,
but married poet Louis Scutenaire in 1930.
Among the important Scutenaire-Hamoir bequest to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels
there are a large number of paintings, gouaches and drawings by René Magritte and Marc. Eemans
Belgian surrealist poet and writer. She became the companion of Marc Eemans in 1925,
but married poet Louis Scutenaire in 1930.
Among the important Scutenaire-Hamoir bequest to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels
there are a large number of paintings, gouaches and drawings by René Magritte and Marc. Eemans
Marc. Eemans and René Magritte in 1929-30. Photo by surrealist poet Paul Nougé
1930
The City Museum of Amsterdam invites belgian surrealists Eemans, Magritte and Mambour to an exhibition about
"Dutch Independent Artists". The prices of Eemans' works in the catalogue are higher that those of his older colleagues.
Eemans leaves the "Société du Mystère" since his ideas about surrealism inspired by mysticism, esotericism and the occult, are not accepted by the other members of the group. Irène Hamoir marries surrealist poet Louis Scutenaire.
The City Museum of Amsterdam invites belgian surrealists Eemans, Magritte and Mambour to an exhibition about
"Dutch Independent Artists". The prices of Eemans' works in the catalogue are higher that those of his older colleagues.
Eemans leaves the "Société du Mystère" since his ideas about surrealism inspired by mysticism, esotericism and the occult, are not accepted by the other members of the group. Irène Hamoir marries surrealist poet Louis Scutenaire.
Marc. Eemans in 1991
I am more lyrical and elegiac, romantic by nature. Magritte is more prosaic, with his bowler hat and yapping dog.
I usually stay on the horizon, near Valhalla and Olympus, whereas Magritte remains on earth. His art is plebeian, mine aristocratic.
After all, I am a surrealist aesthete.
I am more lyrical and elegiac, romantic by nature. Magritte is more prosaic, with his bowler hat and yapping dog.
I usually stay on the horizon, near Valhalla and Olympus, whereas Magritte remains on earth. His art is plebeian, mine aristocratic.
After all, I am a surrealist aesthete.
"Intellectual biography of Marc. Eemans by Prof. Piet Tommissen, followed by a spiritual biography by Friedrich-Markus Huebner
and an afterword by artist Jean-Jacques Gailliard", Ed. Sodim Brussels, 1980.
and an afterword by artist Jean-Jacques Gailliard", Ed. Sodim Brussels, 1980.
Marc. Eemans (1907-1998) was a prominent Belgian painter, poet, and art critic, recognized for his significant contributions to the surrealist movement and beyond. Born in Dendermonde (Belgium) in 1907, Eemans showed an early intellectual curiosity, immersing himself in philosophical works and German Romanticism, particularly the works of Richard Wagner. Aged 15, he studied in 1922 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where he had Symbolist painters Constant Montald and Emile Fabry as Professors. Initially he experimented with constructivist-abstract art under the influence of Victor Servranckx, In 1923 Eemans met legendary galerist Geert Van Bruaene ("Le Cabinet Maldoror", "La Vierge Poupine", followed in 1944 by "La Fleur en Papier Dorée" which still exists today), under whose influence his work became more figurative and finally led him to Surrealism. In 1925, upon reading André Breton's surrealist manifesto, he aligned himself with the movement, exhibiting alongside renowned artists like Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. In the early years of the Belgian surrealist group Eemans was a close associate of Magritte. Eemans also played a role in the "7 Arts" magazine, where he articulated his own definition of surrealism as a creative force stemming from a "healthy life" rather than a mere conceptual refinement. Beyond his visual art, Eemans was a prolific poet. He started in 1930 with "Vergeten te worden" (to be forgotten), a collection considered by some to be the only true Flemish surrealist poetry. He called his poetry "Gnostic Surrealism," influenced by Symbolism, and published another volume, "Wola's vision," in 1938. His poetic style was noted for its natural, unadorned language, akin to that of flemish poet Paul van Ostaijen (1896 - 1928). Eemans continued to be active as a writer, publishing works on various subjects, including modern painting and architecture and an "Anthologie de la mystique aux Pays-Bas." He passed away in 1998 in Brussels, leaving behind a diverse body of work that continues to be exhibited in museums such as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. He is remembered as a complex figure whose artistic output spanned abstract, surrealist, and mystical themes, and who was a significant voice in Belgian art and literature.
Early Years and Constructivist Abstraction (1923–1925)
Eemans’ artistic path began in Dendermonde and matured at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where he studied under Constant Montald and Emile Fabry. Within this academic setting, he explored constructivist and abstract principles, clearly influenced by Victor Servranckx. His focus on structure, rhythm, and spatial balance was refined during this period and would continue to underpin his later surrealist language.
Between 1923 and 1925 he developed a personal grammar uniting geometry and imagination. The drawing “Kallomorphosis” (1924) revealed an autonomous logic of line and texture. These early works functioned as a laboratory for visual ideas that would reappear throughout his surrealist phase.
For collectors, this period represents an entry into early Belgian geometric abstraction, linked to the Brussels avant-garde. Positioned alongside Servranckx and within the “7 Arts” circle, works from these years hold strong relevance for collections focused on 20th-century Belgian modernism.
Between 1923 and 1925 he developed a personal grammar uniting geometry and imagination. The drawing “Kallomorphosis” (1924) revealed an autonomous logic of line and texture. These early works functioned as a laboratory for visual ideas that would reappear throughout his surrealist phase.
For collectors, this period represents an entry into early Belgian geometric abstraction, linked to the Brussels avant-garde. Positioned alongside Servranckx and within the “7 Arts” circle, works from these years hold strong relevance for collections focused on 20th-century Belgian modernism.
Surrealism in Brussels: Circles, Fractures and Iconography (1925–1928)
In 1925, reading Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto marked a decisive shift. Eemans joined the Société du Mystère around René Magritte, Paul Nougé, E.L.T. Mesens, Camille Goemans, and Louis Scutenaire. Brussels thus became home to a lucid, intellectually sharp form of Belgian surrealism, where word, image, and idea intertwined.
His encounter with Irène Hamoir strengthened his bond with the movement’s literary wing. His imagery evolved from tight construction toward dream logic, reflections, and inversions. The recurring football motif and “double horizon” in “L’appétit du silence” introduced irony and chance while deliberately escaping linear narration.
Around 1928, Eemans painted theatrical, often “impossible” spaces. “L’appétit du silence” (1928) exemplified this: an inverted lighthouse, a seated figure in a floating armchair, water and mountains suggesting a mirrored reality. This visual idiom confirmed his place among the Brussels surrealists and gave his work a poetic, metaphysical resonance.
His encounter with Irène Hamoir strengthened his bond with the movement’s literary wing. His imagery evolved from tight construction toward dream logic, reflections, and inversions. The recurring football motif and “double horizon” in “L’appétit du silence” introduced irony and chance while deliberately escaping linear narration.
Around 1928, Eemans painted theatrical, often “impossible” spaces. “L’appétit du silence” (1928) exemplified this: an inverted lighthouse, a seated figure in a floating armchair, water and mountains suggesting a mirrored reality. This visual idiom confirmed his place among the Brussels surrealists and gave his work a poetic, metaphysical resonance.
Publications, Exhibitions and Key Works (1927–1930)
With “Soccer Match” (1927), Eemans produced a seminal work merging absurdity, risk, and play into one striking scene. Published in Variétés (Van Hecke, Mesens), it enhanced his visibility beyond Belgium. The unconscious parallel with Paul van Ostaijen’s poem revealed the close ties between image and poetry during that decade.
In 1928 he held his first solo exhibition at Galerie L’époque directed by Mesens. Dialogue with his peers remained strong. While Magritte disrupted the everyday, Eemans looked toward the mythic and metaphysical. His self-definition as “lyrical” and “elegiac” explained his later distance from Magritte’s more “prosaic” stance.
In 1930 the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam exhibited Eemans alongside Magritte and Mambour. Catalogue prices indicated that Eemans’ works then ranked higher in value, underscoring his market position and international regard. Today, pieces with exhibition or publication provenance remain particularly sought after, especially those connected to Servranckx, Van Hecke, or Mesens.
In 1928 he held his first solo exhibition at Galerie L’époque directed by Mesens. Dialogue with his peers remained strong. While Magritte disrupted the everyday, Eemans looked toward the mythic and metaphysical. His self-definition as “lyrical” and “elegiac” explained his later distance from Magritte’s more “prosaic” stance.
In 1930 the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam exhibited Eemans alongside Magritte and Mambour. Catalogue prices indicated that Eemans’ works then ranked higher in value, underscoring his market position and international regard. Today, pieces with exhibition or publication provenance remain particularly sought after, especially those connected to Servranckx, Van Hecke, or Mesens.
Mysticism, Poetry and Art Criticism: The Gnostic Undercurrent
Parallel to painting, Eemans published poetry and essays. His verse was described as “gnostic surrealism”—a fusion of symbolist sensitivity with clear, unadorned Dutch and French. Like his paintings, his poetry moved between visible image and hidden meaning, employing motifs of reversal, metamorphosis, and horizon.
As a critic and essayist, he wrote on modern painting and architecture and contributed to journals such as 7 Arts. He defended a vitalist conception of art emerging from “healthy life experience” rather than conceptual refinement. This stance explains his 1930 break with the Magritte circle, which rejected his mystical and esoteric leanings.
His written legacy remains a key to his pictorial work. Those who study Eemans rarely separate his paintings from their gnostic references, his interest in mythology, and his deliberate use of mirrors and light sources as semantic anchors.
As a critic and essayist, he wrote on modern painting and architecture and contributed to journals such as 7 Arts. He defended a vitalist conception of art emerging from “healthy life experience” rather than conceptual refinement. This stance explains his 1930 break with the Magritte circle, which rejected his mystical and esoteric leanings.
His written legacy remains a key to his pictorial work. Those who study Eemans rarely separate his paintings from their gnostic references, his interest in mythology, and his deliberate use of mirrors and light sources as semantic anchors.
Reception, Museums and Collecting Guidance
Eemans’ works are held in major Belgian museums in Brussels and Ghent, confirming his place in the canon of 20th-century Belgian art. The interplay between abstract origins and surrealist poetry keeps his oeuvre relevant in international studies of Belgian modernism.
His painting “Soccer Match” (1927) will be featured in the Jan Walravens tribute exhibition at the FelixArt Museum in Drogenbos, from December 2025 to April 2026.
On the art market, demand remains steady for surrealist paintings, gouaches, and drawings from 1925–1930, with premiums for documented or museum-provenanced pieces. Collections focusing on Brussels surrealism or geometric abstraction find in Marc Eemans a bridge figure uniting both tendencies.
Group 2 Gallery advises collectors on acquisitions and provenance research related to Eemans and his contemporaries.
Private viewing by appointment in Rhode-Saint-Genèse. For interest in Marc Eemans for sale, Belgian surrealists, or 20th-century Belgian art, please contact us via our channels.
His painting “Soccer Match” (1927) will be featured in the Jan Walravens tribute exhibition at the FelixArt Museum in Drogenbos, from December 2025 to April 2026.
On the art market, demand remains steady for surrealist paintings, gouaches, and drawings from 1925–1930, with premiums for documented or museum-provenanced pieces. Collections focusing on Brussels surrealism or geometric abstraction find in Marc Eemans a bridge figure uniting both tendencies.
Group 2 Gallery advises collectors on acquisitions and provenance research related to Eemans and his contemporaries.
Private viewing by appointment in Rhode-Saint-Genèse. For interest in Marc Eemans for sale, Belgian surrealists, or 20th-century Belgian art, please contact us via our channels.
