Paul Permeke - Marine

Paul Permeke

Belgian painter, born October 20, 1918, in Sidford (UK). Died May 11, 1990, in Westkapelle.

The youngest son of the master of Expressionism, Constant Permeke, Paul Permeke was born in Great Britain, where his family had sought refuge during World War I. A self-taught artist with a fiercely independent spirit, he refused to pursue the classical academic training his father desired and went into exile in Lausanne at the age of 16. Upon his return to Belgium, he joined an artists’ community in Dudzele, sharing his daily life with the painters Luc Peire and Rik Slabbinck.

Marked by World War II, during which he was interned because of his British nationality, he built his career around scenes of everyday life: carnivals, peasant dances, and nomadic encampments. His early style offered a personal synthesis of Impressionism and Expressionism. The true turning point in his work came in the mid-1950s, after extended stays in sunny Spain, Portugal, and the south of France: his dark palette lightened dramatically.

Settling permanently in Westkapelle in 1960, he devoted himself intensely to landscapes of the polders and the Belgian coast. Paul Permeke then excelled at seascapes with luminous skies, capturing the shifting light of the North Sea. His brushwork became very physical, characterized by a rich application of paint, generous impasto, and a vibrant texture that gave depth to his waves and clouds.

Paul Permeke’s work is now held in several notable institutions in Belgium, including:

Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA)

Mu.ZEE in Ostend (Museum of Art by the Sea)

Sources: Bénézit - Dictionnaire des Peintres Belges du XIXe siècle à nos jours

Our "Marine" depicts a view of the North Sea with a very colorful and luminous sky.

Oil on panel.

Signed lower left.

Dimensions without frame: 50 x 70 cm
Dimensions with frame: 69.5 x 89.5 cm

Very good condition.

Price: €1,680