Experience

Kringwinkel Antwerp donates James Ensor etching to Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA)

Posted by Timothy on

A surprising discovery at the Kringwinkel in Antwerp: an authentic etching by James Ensor was found among the donated goods. The work, ‘Le meuble hanté‘ (‘Haunted pieces of furniture‘), will now have a permanent destination in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp or Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA). The donation is not only a first for Kringwinkel Antwerp, it is also a valuable addition to the KMSKA’s Ensor collection.

From donation points to household goods service: items end up at Kringwinkel Antwerp in all kinds of ways. Everything is collected and sorted in one central warehouse. 

Checking the authenticity

This is where Charlotte Pleysier, an employee at Kringwinkel Antwerp, initially noticed the etching. “She suspected that it was an original Ensor and brought it to me for a second opinion”, Davy, work manager at online auction site Uwkringding, says. 

“Because I shared her suspicion, we immediately called in an expert”.

The authenticity of the work was confirmed by Bernaerts Auctioneers and Ensor experts from the KMSKA, which, with its extensive collection and the Ensor Research Project, is the leading knowledge centre for the artist.

The etching, ‘Le meuble hanté‘, is a well-known print by James Ensor. The work shows a young man in front of an antique cupboard from behind which a skeleton emerges. The theme is inspired by the living room of the Rousseau family in Brussels, who owned a skeleton called Aglaë and used it to play macabre pranks.

“The etching is typical of Ensor. Not only did he use a recognisable type of paper, he also had the habit of signing and dating his etchings in pencil afterwards”, Herwig Todts, Ensor expert at the KMSKA, says. 

“The title’ Le meuble hanté’ is also a recurring theme in the artist’s oeuvre: there is a painting that was destroyed during World War II, a drawing that is currently on display in our exhibition ‘Ensor’s Wildest Dreams. Beyond Impressionism‘, and the etching. There are several identical prints of the etching, which can be found in the collections of Mu.ZEE, MSK Ghent, the royal library KBR and now also in the KMSKA.”

“A unique work such as this etching deserves a special place”, Lander, Director of Marketing and Sales at Kringwinkel, says.

“And the KMSKA with its famous Ensor collection is the ideal destination for this. With this donation, we not only want to contribute to the museum’s rich collection, but also emphasise how reuse can reveal unexpected treasures.”

“We are extremely grateful for this special donation from Kringwinkel Antwerp. It is highly exceptional that a valuable etching by James Ensor is discovered in this way and entrusted to a museum. This etching finds a perfect home in the Ensor collection of the KMSKA, where it can not only be safely stored, but above all shared with the general public”, Caroline Gennez (Vooruit), Flemish Minister of Welfare and Poverty Reduction, Culture and Equal Opportunities, says.

The KMSKA will temporarily exhibit the etching in the exhibition ‘Ensor’s Wildest Dreams. Beyond Impressionism’. The fragile work will then be carefully stored. Thanks to the right expertise and specialized resources, the museum is the ideal place to store such light-sensitive work on paper. The etching will be shown at carefully chosen moments.

What is the Kringwinkel

The Kringwinkel (Circle Shop) combines environmental care with social employment: items are given a second life and people with a distance to the labor market are given a chance. 

Donations are maximized via shops and the auction site Uwkringding (Your Circle Thing), which reduces the waste mountain and creates jobs. In Flanders, Kringwinkels employ more than 6,000 people, 470 of whom are in Antwerp alone. 

Their efforts resulted in the reuse of almost 3.7 million kilos of material in Antwerp last year. Although unique finds such as the Ensor etching are rather exceptional, special pieces are sometimes discovered in the sorting process. 

To recognise valuable items, the staff receives targeted training and digital tools such as databases and apps are available.

As I am not confident the image featured in the press release is copyright-free, I’m using a photo of the museum façade. 

Art and museums in Antwerp