Jan Burssens, Abstract Painting, Mixed Media On Cardboard, Mid-20th Century

JAN BURSSENS, Abstract Painting, Mid-20th Century
Mixed media on card stock: gouache, watercolor, ink, including text (to be deciphered) — see images. Signed lower right. Writing on the back also to be deciphered (see photo). The work is unframed.

Biography
Born in Mechelen on June 27, 1925, Jan Burssens grew up in an intellectual environment. His father, Amaat Burssens, was a professor of African languages at Ghent University, and his uncle, Gaston Burssens, was a renowned poet.

Although he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Burssens is considered largely self-taught. He left the academy in 1946 to follow his own artistic path. In the 1950s, he became a member of the Young Belgian Paintingmovement (1951–1954) and co-founded the Abstract Art group in 1952. He also took part in documenta 2 in Kassel in 1959, a landmark contemporary art exhibition.

Burssens began with expressionist works influenced by Frits Van den Berghe. By 1947, he had transitioned toward lyrical abstraction, experimenting with materials such as sand and lacquer, and employing the dripping technique before discovering Jackson Pollock’s work. His art was influenced by the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre and the aesthetics of Francis Bacon. Over time, he returned to a form of expressive figuration, often focused on self-portraits and distorted human figures, marked by rich textures and intense colors.

Packaging and Delivery Costs

• Pick-up: Free

• Belgium: €20

• France: €30

• Europe: €40

• Rest of the world: €80