COLLECTION

Constant Permeke

Constant Permeke (1886 – 1952) was working at a turning point in society, with one foot in modernism and the other in the tradition of figures such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya and Van Gogh. Although often described as one of the core figures of Flemish Expressionism, he unmistakably transcends the local context. His oeuvre resonates with the avant-garde movements that emerged in various parts of Europe directly prior to, during and after the First World War.

Legacy

Constant Permeke wanted his artworks to stay together after his death and for his home to become a museum. His family opened De Vier Winden [The Four Winds] to the public on 16 November 1952, barely ten months after the artist’s death. The Province of West Flanders took over the reins a few years later. In 1959-1960 they purchased the estate, including all the works of art, and in 1961 opened the museum as the Provinciaal Museum Constant Permeke (PMCP) [Constant Permeke Provincial Museum]. The artist’s wishes were definitively fulfilled. The estates of Beatty and Thérèse Permeke, his two daughters, were subsequently added to the collection.

Collection

The Permeke Museum collection comprises more than 200 artworks by Constant Permeke, eighty of which are paintings, sixty of which are sculptures and seventy of which are drawings, including his life-sized works in charcoal.

Using the search filter, you can browse through Mu.ZEE’s entire collection. If you type in ‘Constant Permeke’, you will find all the artworks by Permeke in the collection.

Click here to go to the online platform of the Mu.ZEE collection

See also Research