Alfred Cluysenaar (1837-1902)

The collection starts with a beautifully sensitive study (Lot 91) of André Edmond Alfred Cluysenaar at the age of two, which was executed by his father Alfred Cluysenaar.

Alfred was the second son of the renowned architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar (1811-1880). Growing up, Alfred was surrounded by his father’s art collection which included sketches by Rubens and Van Dyck. This served as great inspiration and Alfred enrolled at the Brussels Academy to study Fine Art. With the support of his family, Alfred travelled to Paris where he produced a series of paintings for his father’s architectural project in Hamburg.

Lot 92 is a very important study which was carried out in preparation for Alfred’s masterful commission Horseman of the Apocalypse, measuring 30 square metres and exhibited at the Paris Salon and located at Musee du Cinquantenaire in Brussels.

André Edmond Alfred Cluysenaar (1872-1939)

André Edmond Alfred Cluysenaar was taught to paint by his father. André started experimenting through sculpture but turned to painting full time after 1902. During the First World War, André moved to London and worked on portrait commissions developing a loose and romantic style that proved very popular. He went on to paint former prime minister, Herbert Asquith in 1919, and Andre Mangeot, the French born violinist in 1926.

In the auction, we are pleased to present two portraits by André. The first is Lot 93, a beautiful portrait of his wife Alice Gordon Thrieve, a descendant of Lord Byron; the second is Lot 94, a portrait of his son, John Cluysenaar, dated 1906.

John Cluysenaar (1899-1986)

John Cluysenaar (1899-1986) was the next to follow in the artistic footsteps of both his father and grandfather, and it is his collection of works which makes up the largest proportion of the works for sale. John initially delved into sculpture, establishing a studio in Uccle, Belgium. His prowess in this medium garnered recognition when, in 1924, he secured a shared First Prix de Rome and the Godecharle Prize.

Cluysenaar travelled to France and Italy on study trips but settled in the UK during the Second World War. The turning point in John Cluysenaar's career occurred in 1939, marked by the passing of his father on April 7th. Following this poignant event, Cluysenaar pledged to abandon sculpture forever, redirecting his focus towards his true passion which was painting. Speculation arises regarding his strained relationship with his father, a successful artist himself, who may have felt threatened by his son's artistic talent, nudging John towards sculpture.

The rhythmic essence flows through the core of John Cluysenaar's paintings. Profoundly influenced by his love for music, his canvases exemplify the fluidity of brush strokes, resembling notes dancing across sheet music. Notable among his later works are the series Composition Abstraite and Visage Imaginaire. Cluysenaar embraced the 'all-over' composition, a concept gaining prominence in America through artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning. With Composition Abstraite, he sought to inundate the canvas with a fiery burst of strokes, departing from a central focal point, infusing spontaneity into the artwork. Employing a restricted colour palette for each piece, Cluysenaar delved into various shades, creating depth and mystique in his works.

Visage Imaginaire reflects Cluysenaar's early fascination with German expressionist artists like Kokoschka and Emil Nolde. Inspired by the tormented faces depicted by Edvard Munch, Cluysenaar transformed this interest into an obsession. This resulted in a series of paintings aimed at deconstructing and simplifying the elements of the human face into a web of entangled lines, producing a camouflage effect that dissolved the face into infinity. The canvas was adorned with scattered lines, intentionally devoid of a central focus, achieving an anonymizing effect and establishing a network of black lines that dictated both contours and rhythm.

Auction Details

Thursday 4 April, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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