Programme & Registration Ensor Symposium

As the Ensor Research Project's (Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp) goal is to better understand all aspects of James Ensor's creative processes, a symposium is being organised that will present a mid-term state of affairs, evaluating the present state of technical and scientific findings along with current theoretical, stylistic, iconographical and historical investigations.

In recent years, research on material and technical aspects of the visual arts and cultural heritage has made significant progress. Thanks to the optimization of existing research tools and the development of new imaging techniques, such as Macro X-Ray Fluorescence scanning, the quality of the research data is richer than ever before.

In 2013, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp started the Ensor Research Project bringing together an interdisciplinary team with the goal of investigating the material and technical aspects of the 38 Ensor paintings in the museum's collection. Supported by a parallel conservation treatment campaign, this project is enhancing the understanding of Ensor's creative process considerably. Other recent research developments include The Art Institute of Chicago's conservation of Ensor's extraordinary drawing The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1887) presented in a book, exhibition and online scholarly catalogue.

Symposium Ensor's Creative Process: Technique, Concept, Image
When: November 20, 2015
Register now
Register for the excursion to Antwerp and Ostend on November 21
Programme

The symposium is organized by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Dr. Elsje Janssen, scientific director of collections and Dr. Herwig Todts, curator and coordinator of the Ensor Research Project, in cooperation with the University of Antwerp, Dr. Geert Van der Snickt, Chair Advanced Imaging Techniques for the Arts, Faculty of Science, Dr. Susan M. Canning, Professor, College of New Rochelle, New York and the Flemish Art Collection.

(News item October 28, 2015)