In May 1923, Spilliaert moved to this home, where he also had a studio.
It was during this period that he produced his oil paintings, although he continued to create works using Indian ink, gouache, coloured chalk and other materials too. The family lived on the upper floor, while poet Daan Boens (1893-1977), the owner, lived below them.1 From his floor, Spilliaert had a view of the commercial docks and shipyards, the warehouses and the two railroad stations that still existed in Ostend at the time. The location occupied by Ostend Town Hall today, was once a dock that was part of the port. Spilliaert reveals this unique high perspective in a sketchbook and often featured the neighbourhood in his works.2 The family lived here for five years - an eternity by their standards. The Boens family continued to expand, and due to a lack of space, the Spilliaerts left the house on Amsterdamstraat a month later.3
