Jacques Eggermont (1918 - 1998) - ' Les Ballerines - Tutus Rouges ' (the Ballerinas - Red Tutus)

Jacques Eggermont
Namur 1918 – 1998 Profondeville
Belgian Painter

'Les Ballerines – Tutus Rouges'
(The Ballerinas - Red Tutus)

Signature: signed lower left 'J.Eggermont', named revers 'Tutus Rouges'
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: image size 50 x 40 cm, frame size 64 x 54 cm

Biography: Jacques Eggermont, also known under the pseudonyms Jack and Jackeddy, was a Belgian artist born on 27 October 1918 at Leignon Castle in the province of Namur, and who passed away on 24 November 1998 in Profondeville. A painter, sculptor, press illustrator, and comics author, he belonged to a generation of Belgian artists whose work bridged fine arts, illustration, and the emerging field of animation.

He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and at the Saint-Luc Institute in Brussels, where he followed the Arts and Decoration section alongside Eddy Paape. During his training, he developed a strong interest in visual storytelling and animation, working with fellow students on a graduation short film that explored the evolution of a landscape through the changing seasons. This early project led to his first professional collaborations in the field of animation.

In the 1940s, Eggermont joined the Compagnie Belge des Actualités (CBA) in Liège, where he worked under the shared pseudonym Jackeddy with Eddy Paape. Together, they contributed to a series of animated productions during the wartime period. Within this creative environment, Eggermont played an important role in artistic direction and visual conception, helping define the expressive and dynamic style of the studio’s work.

After this period, he expanded his artistic activity into comics and illustration. Under the name Jack, he published several stories in magazines such as Feu sacré, including The Adventures of Kaatje and Klopje and The Boat of Klopje, as well as adaptations of literary works. These publications reflect his sensitivity to narrative imagery and his ability to translate stories into vivid visual sequences.

In 1948, he founded his own animation studio, the Institut Photographique de Belgique, where he developed advertising films and pursued personal creative projects in animated cinema. This period allowed him to further explore the possibilities of animation as an artistic medium and to collaborate with emerging talents in the field.

Jacques Eggermont’s career reflects a continuous dedication to visual arts across multiple disciplines, combining painting, illustration, sculpture, and animation. His work stands as a distinctive contribution to Belgian 20th-century artistic culture.