Founded in at the instigation of the insurance broker Léon Eeckman and of the painters Anto-Carte and

Louis Buisseret Louis Buisseret (1888 - 1956) was a Belgian painter, draftsman and engraver. His style of art mainly focused on realistic portraits, nudes, and still life. Works by Buisseret can be found in museums in Belgium, Barcelona, Madrid, Riga, and Indiana ...

, the Groupe Nervia was a Belgian artistic circle, the purpose of which was to foster Walloon art, obscured by the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

of the Laethem-Saint-Martin School, by supporting young talented artists of Hainaut. It included, in addition to Anto-Carte, eight other painters:

, Frans Depooter, Léon Devos, Léon Navez,

Pierre Paulus Pierre Paulus (1881–1959), later Baron Pierre Paulus de Châtelet, was a Belgian expressionist painter. He is best known as the designer of the "bold rooster" (french: coq hardi) adopted on 3 July 1913 as the symbol of the Walloon Movement and ...

, Rodolphe Strebelle, Taf Wallet and Jean Winance. Nervia's art claims a Latin essence and is more realistic, lyric and intimist than their northern neighbors’. In addition to their obvious skills, Nervia's artists refused

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

at all costs, deeply studied other artists, and expressed a sort of neo-

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

through themes taken from everyday and family life, treated with harmony and

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

. Twenty exhibitions were organized between 1928 and 1938, together with other guest artists (

Andrée Bosquet Andrée Bosquet (1900–1980) was a Belgium, Belgian painter. Bosquet was born on 13 March 1900, in Tournai. She died in La Louvière on 27 June 1980. Her husband was fellow Belgian artist Frans Depooter. Coming from cultured society, she took ...

, Gustave Camus, Alphonse Darville, Élisabeth Ivanovsky,

Geo Verbanck Geo (Georges) Verbanck (28 February 1881 – 12 December 1961) was a Belgian sculptor and medalist. Early life Born in the city of Ghent (Flanders), Belgium, Verbanck spent his childhood in the care of a foster family at the countryside in Laar ...

, Fernand Wéry and Ernest Wynants). Nervia stood out at the Salon of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

in 1933 and 1938 and successfully participated in the first Congrès Culturel Wallon held in

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. Seven other exhibitions were organized between 1946 and 1978, including an itinerant exhibition on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Group's creation. Nervia was also honored by a retrospective in the Art Museum of

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

in 2002.

External links

Fonds Léon Eeckman

Fondation Anto-Carte et le groupe Nervia
Belgian painters {{Belgium-painter-stub