Permeke Museum in Jabbeke reopens after three years of renovation work
The Permeke Museum in Jabbeke will open again on 29 March after three years of renovation work. The reopening coincides with an exhibition that will spotlight the international importance of Constant Permeke, the Belgian painter and sculptor who is considered the leading figure of Flemish expressionism.
During the three-year renovation, the sculpture studio was thoroughly overhauled, making adjustments for wheelchair accessibility and restructuring to allow more natural light in. The sculpture studio was also insulated and equipped with a contemporary climate system for museums.
The museum offers an insight into various subjects from Permeke's life and work through works of art, objects, photos and films. The artist, who lived in Jabbeke for about 20 years, leaned into the avant-garde movements that emerged in various parts of Europe directly prior to, during and after the First World War.
"The artist had one foot in European modernism and the other in the tradition of Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Gogh, among others," the museum says. "The Permeke Museum now wants to become a knowledge centre around Constant Permeke, where the archive and understanding about the artist are brought together to stimulate academic research.”
Two exhibitions will take place each year in the renovated sculpture studio, featuring works from the museum's collection and loans from private collectors and international museums. The winter exhibitions will focus on research on Permeke and modernism, while the summer exhibitions bring together the art of Permeke and other artists.
During the renovation work, an appeal was launched to people who knew Permeke, resulting in seven recorded testimonies that have been incorporated into the new presentation.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE
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