The new temporary exhibition of A. G. Leventis Gallery is dedicated to the leaders of Belgian Impressionism as well as to the movements that developed after them. Selected works from Museums and private collections from Belgium, Greece and Cyprus, showcase the evolution of Belgian Impressionism, from mid-19th to the beginning of 20th century. The exhibition is a retrospective to Belgian Impressionists and the group which, in their attempt to reclaim some of the limelight from their more famous French counterparts, have discovered unique ways in handling light, emphasising on ‘sensation’ rather than ‘impression’.
The exhibition focuses on the movement’s most celebrated exponents, bringing together works from leading Belgian museums, but also treasures from celebrated private collections, many hitherto unseen and unpublished. Following on from the precursors of Realism in Belgium, such as Hippolyte Boulenger and Charles Hermans, the exhibition dwells on the flourishing of plein-air painting in Belgium in the late 19th century, through works by Félicien Rops, Théo van Rysselberghe, Guillaume Vogels and James Ensor, among others. It also traces the spirit of thriving artistic circles, such as La Chrysalide and Les XX, and presents the poetic nocturnes of Louis Artan and the intensity of Isidore Verheyden’s landscapes alongside the dazzling skies of Pericles Pantazis – the only Greek in this intimate circle of Belgian Impressionists.