Group of the XX

The Groupe of the Twenty (or the XX ) is an artistic circle of avant-garde founded to Brussels in 1883 by Octave Maus.

In form part: Louis Artan, Anna Boch, William Degouve de Nuncques, Xavier Mellery, Isidore Verheyden, Georges Lemmen, Henry de Groux, Guillaume Charlier, Franz Charlet, Jean Delvin, Paul Of Wood, James Ensor, Charles Goethals, Fernand Khnopff, Périclès Pantazis, Dario de Regoyos, Félicien Rops, Théo van Rysselberghe, Franz Simons, Leon Spilliaert, Théo Van Rysselberghe, Guillaume Van Strydonck, Gustave Vanaise, Henry van of Velde, Theodore Verstraete, Guillaume Vogels, etc… For the majority, they will be found within the Libre Esthetics, the movement which will succeed to him.

The XX

Briefly let us locate the creation of the XX in the historical context: we are in 1884, the Belgium is thus a very young country, it earlier has receipt its independence not even 60 years. It is the beginning of industrialization and with it the beginning of the social movements. For recall, the Parti working Belgian will be founded one year later, in 1885. The artistic revolution of 1884 started by a sentence launched by a member of the official jury: “ That they expose on their premises! ” it had protested, refusing the fabrics of two or three painters; it is thus what they did. It is in this context that will be born the XX in 1883.

October 28th, 1883, with the Guillaume Tavern with Ixelles, the XX and Octave Maus posed the bases of this association. The guests would be selected “among already devoted artists, but whose art remains independent and combative”.

1884

Among the XX of the departure, one finds already James Ensor, Fernand Khnopff, Dario de Regoyos, and Theo Van Rysselberghe. Among the guests, one finds certain great names also such Rops and Rodin. Each “vingtist” can expose six works, the guests as for them can state only one of them. The first exposure of the ''' XX ''' opens on February 2nd 1884 in the first Palais of the Art schools of Brussels (current royal museum of old art).

The XX seek an evolution of painting. As of this first exposure, one can notice very a Net interest carried to the light. The first table exposed by Theo Van Rysselberghe is In West Flanders . It is already a very luminous table, like will be the continuation of its work. James Ensor presents inter alia the Masks , the Lady unweaves of it , the Lamp maker and the Russian Music . the Russian Music expresses the vingtist spirit well. Indeed, in this fabric one finds the bond between music and painting: one sees there Willy Finch listening to Anna Boch to play of the piano; “ two painters communicant in the music whereas a third immortalise this moment ”. In her book, Madeleine Maus says that Ensor exposed its named fabric Chinoiseries this year, whereas according to other research it would seem that she was carried out in 1907.

In this first year of exposure, a fabric made a large scandal: the Temptation of Saint-Anthony of Félicien Rops. Indeed, the iconography had vocation to heat the preserving spirits. But instead of Christ on the cross, one could observe a nude woman.

External bond

the XX and Free Esthetics

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