Tribute to Delvaux at Cabin Art in Sint-Idesbald
The 14th edition of Cabin Art in underway on Sint-Idesbald Beach in the seaside municipality of Koksijde (West Flanders). Works by the Belgian surrealist master Paul Delvaux embellish the backs of beach huts.
Delvaux was born exactly 125 years ago and it’s four decades now since the Delvaux Museum, where numerous works by the surrealist master can be admired, opened in the resort of Sint-Idesbald.
Delvaux met Anne-Marie De Martelaere, the love of his life, in Sint-Idesbald in 1947 and decided to leave his wife.
The works on the rear of beach huts by 56 different artists all take Paul Delvaux in Sint-Idesbald as their theme. Different techniques and diverse interpretations have resulted in magnificent display.
Artist Michael Marek explains Delvaux was obsessed by death, which he portrayed in a positive light: “That’s why I painted a ‘danse macabre’, a woman dancing with a skeleton. It’s a shame the Delvaux Museum isn’t universally rated. It really is worth a visit. Cabin Art is a great initiative making art accessible to Joe Bloggs”.
Fellow artist Paul De Backer has created a composition featuring sea and air with a thin strip between dunes and beach. A train emerges as from nowhere: “Cabin Art is fun and provides a platform for amateur artists. Delvaux was a great choice, though I do think he focussed too much on nudity.
Cabin Art runs in Sint-Idesbald till 11 September.