Jan Cox is one of the most important, albeit one of the most difficult, post World War II painters.

In the Antwerp Royal Museum of Fine Arts the exhibition 'Jan Cox: Living One's Art' opened 15 March. Jan Cox is one of the most important, albeit one of the most difficult, post World War II painters.

The Belgian painter Jan Cox was born in The Hague on 27 August 1919. He spent the greatest part of his childhood in Amsterdam and moved to Antwerp in 1936, where he attended classes at the National Higher Institute of Fine Arts. In 1945 he founded the group Jeune Peinture Belge together with other artists.

A few years later he was introduced to the members of the Cobra group and he made life long friendships with Pierre Alechinsky and Hugo Claus.

 From 1948 his attention shifted to the United States. He exhibited in the famous Curt Valentin Gallery in New York, and from 1956 he was Head of the Painting Department of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. When he returned to Belgium in 1974, he joined the artists' circle of Gallery 'De Zwarte Panter' in Antwerp.

In post-war history, Jan Cox's art occupies a special place because of its careful composition, magical or surreal nature and a very personal palette. But Jan Cox mainly stands out from his contemporaries because he opted for classical themes: Orpheus, Homer's Iliad, and the Passion of Christ, themes in which he, together with the viewer, wanted to think about the 'human condition' and the horrors and desperation of modern times.

The exhibition does not present a general and chronological overview, but maps out the artist's profile on the basis of key works and thematic ensembles: the artist's life, the creative process, Calvary, the theme of the woman, Orpheus and the Iliad. Furthermore, a number of Jan Cox's objects that have never been on show before introduce the visitor to a different, 'playful' Cox.

'Jan Cox: Living One's Art runs through 15 June.

flandersnews.be