Fred Bervoets – 2015-2019

The playful, chaotic world of peintre-graveur Fred Bervoets

Fred Bervoets (b. 1942) is a legend in the Belgian art world and revered by the younger generation of artists. For years he has made both expansive, teeming artworks and extremely traditional prints, the latter of which has seen him develop his own unique technique. In recent years, Bervoets has increasingly presented himself as a peintre-graveur. This means he does not use the etching technique as a method of reproduction but as a means of expression. Each and every one of his chaotic and colourful works testifies to his pictorial passions, consummate skill and unbridled energy.

A simple anecdote from a friend in a café might provide the catalyst for a work in which the story assumes new proportions and adopts its own twists. His personal life also engenders self-portraits or other types of artworks, all crowned with an essential degree of self-mockery and irony. Bervoets allows everyday events to expand into miniature universes governed by their own rules and laws. The horror vacui of his large works conceals countless details, all of which contribute to the narrative.

This book presents the evocative work produced by Fred Bervoets between 2015 and 2019, including his most recent Night Drawings series, the masterful embodiment of the nocturnal reveries and memories that persistently haunt his mind.

With a foreword by Ernest Van Buynder and an essay by Paul Huvenne.