Painting By Jean Marie Strebelle, Belgian School, 1916–1989

Jean Marie Strebelle

Belgian School 1916–1989 Watercolor and gouache Signed on the back Drawing 1961 Label /  Venice Art Biennale 1960 Dimensions: 110 x 78 cm
Jean-Rodolphe Strebelle, known as Jean-Marie Strebelle (1916–1989), was a Belgian painter, draftsman, and tapestry designer.   Born in Ixelles, he came from a Brussels family well-known in the fine arts world: he was the son of the painter Rodolphe Strebelle (1880–1959). 
He was the brother of the sculptor Olivier Strebelle (1927–2017) and the architect Claude Strebelle (1917–2010). 
At age 15, he enlisted as a deckhand in the merchant and fishing fleets (until 1946), traveling to Africa and America. At the same time, he studied at the Higher Institute of Decorative Arts (La Cambre) in Brussels. 
His paintings are characterized by precise line work, vivid colors, a poetic atmosphere, and sometimes a touch of whimsy. 
His favorite subjects are portraits of women and exotic scenes/colonial exoticism, seascapes, and scenes of the sea.
He began exhibiting at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1938. 
He was awarded the prestigious Louis Schmidt Prize in 1950. 
His works are held in several public collections in Belgium, notably at the Museum of Ixelles, the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren), and the Royal Academy of Belgium.