Spilliaert's very personal view and interpretation of the world around him raises questions about the person behind the art. What kind of person was Léon Spilliaert? What was his family like? Who was he in contact with? Where did he spend his time?
On this page, you can delve into different facets of his life: his biography, the places that were important to him and the many people in his network.
Is it really necessary for us to divide Spilliaert’s life into various stages? Of course not, however, Spilliaert’s highly personal art evolved as he continued to grow as a person. What’s more, the events that unfolded around him naturally influenced his work. And being self-taught, he developed his techniques gradually, through his practice and by observing other artists. Moreover, this breakdown by no means implies that Spilliaert himself was aware of these changes or that an obvious caesura can be perceived in his art.
And another thing: Spilliaert didn’t rest on his laurels; in his lifetime, he moved house more than ten times. Want to know more about the various places he called home? If so, click Locations, and to learn more about the people in his life check out People.
Léon Spilliaert moved home more than eleven times during his life. Following his marriage to Rachel Vergison in 1916, and the birth of their daughter Madeleine in 1917, the family moved home multiple times. This was often due to practical concerns: the house was too gloomy, a ceiling had fallen down, or there simply wasn’t enough room. Spilliaert only had his own studio in a few of their homes, he mostly worked in the living space, on a sturdy board or the dining table. Find out more about the different places he lived and worked in Ostend here.
Although the popular image of Spilliaert is that of an isolated artist, he had lots of contacts, with artists and writers and the art experts or so-called animateurs d’art of his time. Moreover, he started a family when he married at the age of 35 and became a father shortly afterwards. Find out more about some crucial people in his life here
