The oeuvre of Jean Brusselmans appears to be a well-kept secret among art lovers: his style is unique and his work shows great autonomy, but is at the same time deeply human and uncompromising. Contemporary with Constant Permeke, Edgard Tytgat and fellow student of Rik Wouters, he occupies an exceptional place in Belgian painting of the interwar period. Jean Brusselmans is the first major solo exhibition in more than 30 years, curated by curator Phillip van den Bossche and visual artist Koenraad Dedobbeleer. Jean Brusselmans (Brussels, June 13, 1884 – Dilbeek, January 9, 1953) was a Belgian painter. Brusselmans started out as an engraver and lithographer, but after 1904 focused solely on painting. He trained at the academy in Brussels. His early work (1900 to 1912) is characterized by both realism and impressionism. Between 1912 and 1920 he had a so-called Brabant fauvist period, partly influenced by his friendship with Auguste Oleffe, Rik Wouters and Ferdinand Schirren. From 1920 onwards he developed a personal style characterized by geometric and stylized compositions and the use of large areas of color and constructive brushstrokes. The structure of his work is deliberately strict and without relief, almost ascetic. The color of his works from that period is intense. From 1924 until his death in 1953 he lived in Dilbeek.