The most toxic bloom of Symbolism, bane of the bourgeoisie, enfant terrible – many terms have been used to describe the Belgian artist Félicien Rops (1833 Namur – 1898 Essonnes) and his radical art. Rops was a transgressor of boundaries. With an acute eye and sharp pen, he questioned conventions and probed the frontiers of art. He was celebrated by, among others, the writers Charles Baudelaire and Joris-Karl Huysmans. His works often dealt with erotic themes, in defiance of the double standards and petty-minded hypocrisy of the bourgeois age. But Rops was no mere provocateur. His art also highlights the tensions and clichés of his time, with a particular focus on gender roles. The exhibition is an opportunity to discover Rops anew, as a master draughtsman, but also to turn a critical gaze on the social mores of the fin de siècle.
The exhibition has been conceived in close collaboration with the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR).
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Ill.: Félicien Rops, La Tentation de saint Antoine, 1878, Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), Brussels
