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L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles le Mardi Gras en 1889

Artist/Maker (Belgian, 1860–1949)
Date1898
MediumHand-colored etching
DimensionsImage: 9 3/4 × 14 1/16 in. (24.8 × 35.7 cm)
Sheet: 13 1/16 × 19 1/4 in. (33.2 × 48.9 cm)
Credit LineFriends of Art Fund
Object number1964.12
Status
Not on view
Copyright© Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / SABAM, BrusselsMore Information
Ensor’s imagined scene of Christ entering Brussels during Mardi Gras is typical of his visionary and bizarre style, anticipating the jarring visual effects of Fauvism and Surrealist fantasies. Situated in the middle ground, Christ goes virtually unnoticed amidst chaotic throngs of masked revelers, arguably functioning as a self-portrait of the artist who felt ignored by society and persecuted by his contemporaries. The festive atmosphere is diminished by the mob-like representation of the populace and the presence of Death wearing a top hat in the foreground. Ensor’s nightmarish depiction of an historical event that never occurred explores the intersection of imagination and anxiety over one’s place in society.
Exhibition History
Altered Images
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 21, 1984 - March 25, 1984 )
'La Reverie esthetique': Symbolist Works on Paper
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (March 29, 1988 - May 22, 1988 )
Educating the Eye: Prints from the Elesh Collection
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (April 9, 1993 - May 31, 1993 )
Exhibition for Education Department, Lorain County Gifted and Talented Program: Printmaking
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (July 13, 1993 - July 20, 1993 )
Between Fact and Fantasy: The Artistic Imagination in Print
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 17, 2014 - June 22, 2014 )
Collections
  • European