GUILLAUME LEUNENS, FLEMISH ARTIST PAINTER

Conclusion

During the last years of his life, Guillaume Leunens retired from artistic life. He no longer wanted to exhibit and painted for his own pleasure only. He had become very antisocial and preferred spending his time at his cottage in Ardèche, where he took care of his flower garden.

His determination, patience and especially passion towards his art and his vision of the universe were Guillaume Leunens' main qualities, allowing him to fulfill his dream. He left us, taking his secret with him as he had always wanted to do.

His work will continue to inspire us with all the emotions that this passionate man of Life and Night has given to his art.

Victor Leunens

metal on metal Hallverr 37" x 62"

Guillaume Leunens' name appears in the following dictionaries:

" Dictionnaire biographique des artistes belges", " Nouveau dictionnaire biographique européen (Who is Who) " et " E. Benezit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs " and others.

The books on Guillaume Leunens by Mr. van Jole, "Leunens peintre de vie" by Xavier Franc, the review Flits and various critiques have been used to finalize this porte-folio.

GHISLAIN MOLLET-VIEVILLE
Art agent
Expert at the Court of Appeal of Paris

GUILLAUME LEUNENS

The entirety of this artist's work shows a strong personality having successfully tried out new materials (especially aluminum) as part of a reflection that questions the traditional nature of the arts of painting and sculpturing.

The real origin of this work lies more in constructivism. A work that is characterized by great vigor releasing a sense of strength and power which cannot help impressing the visitor. Sometimes, his work is somehow brutal, archaic, as if he had wanted to set free certain wild forces contained in the depths of life.

Particularly interesting - for his time - are the effects of volume and cut of his works, which gives them the status of mural sculptures.

His innovative spirit is associated, within a whole system of shape combinations, with a great mastery of the material, where the different cut, welded and hammered elements seem to be the work of a draftsman beyond compare. One can say that this artist has successfully conquered new spaces for the arts of painting and sculpturing by trying to deny the conventional limits of the pictorial surface.

Paris, June 19, 1992

victor.leunens@leunens.ca