Johfra Bosschart (1919-1998) Portrait Of His Wife 'diana Vandenberg' Dated 1948

* Metaphysical artist Johfra Bosschart's 'Portrait of Diana Vandenberg,' dated 1948, is an oil on panel, unframed, measuring 50 cm x 70 cm. She is depicted as a curious spectator in a strange forest. Biography of Diana Vandenberg: Angèle Blomjous was the daughter of a textile manufacturer. Her interest in spirituality was awakened in her childhood during a pilgrimage to Lourdes with her parents. After graduating from the Hogereburg school, she enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where she studied under Paul Citroën, among others, before joining the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. During her studies, her classmates nicknamed her "Diavola" (Devil), a nickname from which she later derived her artist name, "Diana." It was during this time that she also discovered the anthroposophical teachings of Rudolf Steiner. In 1952, Angèle/Diana Blomjous married Johfra Bosschart (whose real name was Johannes Franciscus Vandenberg), with whom she joined the Rosicrucian movement and met Salvador Dalí. After Johfra left her for their mutual friend, the painter Ellen Lórien, the marriage ended in divorce in 1962. Diana Vandenberg kept her married name. She presented her work to an international audience in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Indonesia, and the United States, and gave numerous lectures. Along with her ex-husband and his second wife, she is one of the seven artists whom art critic Hein Steehouwer grouped together in 1974 under the name "The Seven Metarealists." Diana Vandenberg created approximately 800 paintings. His work includes portraits and, in particular, surrealist motifs imbued with strong religious and philosophical connotations. It is based on his profound conviction of the omnipresence of the divine. A high point of his work is "The Terrain of Life," composed of nine panels and symbolizing the cycle of human life. His oil painting "The Seventh Day," depicting the hand of God holding the globe, **for a collector of esoteric art*** provenance: private collection, Belgium, never before offered at public auction*** better photos coming soon and will be on display this weekend at 'Sablon Antiques Center', 39 Place du Grand Sablon, 1000 Brussels