Henri Van Cutsem Portrait Sarah Bernhardt pastel c1903

Henri-Émile Van Cutsem (1839–1904) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

patron of the arts, and also himself a painter

Biography

Van Cutsem was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

into a family of hoteliersLalibre.be: Trésors cachés à Tournai
/ref> who had become wealthy from their business. He studied law at

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

. During long stays in Paris he developed good relations with many of the artistic community. In 1890 he acquired two adjacent blocks of flats on the Avenue des Arts in

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Saint-Josse-ten-Noode () or Sint-Joost-ten-Node (), often simply called Saint-Josse or Sint-Joost, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the Ci ...

which he had refurbished by

Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. His Hôtel Tassel in Brussels, built in 1892–93, is often ...

. He died in Ochamps of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Patronage

Van Cutsem developed his father's art collections and gave his moral and financial support to many artists, notably the sculptor

Guillaume Charlier Guillaume Charlier (1854–1925) was a Belgian sculptor, most of whose works are now kept in the Charlier Museum in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Life Charlier was born in Ixelles, the eldest son of a large family. He was 15 years old in 1870 when ...

, to whom Van Cutsem bequeathed his property on the Avenue des Arts, which after Charlier's death became the

Charlier Museum The Charlier Museum (french: Musée Charlier, nl, Charliermuseum) is a museum in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, exhibiting Belgian art of the end of the 19th century. The museum is often used for concerts of classi ...

, established on 21 October 1928. Among the many artists whom he supported were Édouard Agneessens,

Théodore Baron Théodore Baron (19 August 1840, Ixelles - 4 September 1899, Saint-Servais) was a Belgian landscape painter in the Realistic style. Biography He was initially trained in the Academic style; first by Hippolyte de la Charlerie in Brussels, the ...

Géo Bernier Géo Bernier (16 July 1862 – 28 December 1918) was a Belgian painter of landscapes and portraits, but principally of horses. He was also a poster designer. Born in Namur, he moved to Brussels in 1880. He died in Ixelles. He was the husband ...

, Jan Van Beers,

Eugène Broerman Eugène Broerman (12 July 1861 – 7 October 1932) was a Belgian painter. Life He trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. His house, Antoine Delporteplein 2, Saint-Gilles, has been a protected historical monument since ...

Albéric Collin Albéric Collin (6 April 1886 – 27 February 1962) was a Belgian animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painte ...

James Ensor James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic g ...

, Joseph Stevens and

Willy Finch Alfred William (Willy) Finch (1854 –1930) was a ceramist and painter in the pointillist and Neo-Impressionist style. Born in Brussels to British parents, he spent most of his creative life in Finland. Life and work Alfred William Finch ...

Legacy

Van Cutsem's collections were given to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

Notes and references

External links

HetStillepand.be: Henri Van Cutsem

Tento.be: Henri Van Cutsem
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutsem, Henri Van 1839 births 1904 deaths Businesspeople from Brussels Deaths from pneumonia in Belgium Belgian art collectors Belgian patrons of the arts