1896 – Antwerp – 1965
Belgian Painter
Peaceful Landscape
Edmond Van Dooren (Antwerp, 16 October 1896 – Antwerp, 24 August 1965) was a versatile Flemish painter, draftsman, and printmaker who played an important role in the Belgian avant-garde of the 20th century.
He began his artistic training at an early age, studying at the Berchem Academy in 1908 and later, in 1911, at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he met fellow artist Jozef Peeters. Together with Peeters, Paul Joostens, and Jan Kiemeneij, he shared a studio above the iconic café De Zalm on Wijngaardstraat. Van Dooren’s early work consisted of luminist landscapes and a few portraits, but his style quickly evolved. Between 1915 and 1917, he leaned toward symbolism, and by 1919 he was visibly influenced by German Expressionism.
In 1918, even before the end of World War I, Van Dooren co-founded the Circle of Modern Art in Antwerp. This group of artists, including Jozef Peeters, Jos Léonard, and Jan Cockx, aimed to promote modern art in Flanders. One of their most notable initiatives was inviting Theo van Doesburg, leader of De Stijl, to give a series of lectures in Antwerp and Brussels (1920–1921). These conferences marked a turning point for the Belgian avant-garde, ushering in a period of radical innovation and a universal pursuit of abstract visual language.
During this period, Van Dooren also turned to abstraction, incorporating influences from Cubism and Futurism into his work. In 1922, he exhibited with the artist groups Moderne Kunst and Ça Ira!. He later returned to figurative painting but with a visionary and often unsettling visual language. His paintings feature landscapes with dramatic skies, futuristic cityscapes, and monumental, almost sculptural figures. These neo-romantic visions of the future resemble science fiction scenes, evocative of the music of Richard Wagner — a composer Van Dooren deeply admired. He also became known for his depictions of machines and mechanical forms during this period, reflecting his fascination with technology.
From 1948 onward, Van Dooren returned to abstract painting, once again aligning himself with postwar artistic renewal.
The work of Edmond Van Dooren is held in several major museum collections, including the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, Mu.ZEE in Ostend, the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, and the Museum of Abstract Art – René Magritte Museum in Jette. His oeuvre reflects a tireless artistic quest and a deep-seated commitment to innovation.
