Guy Vandenbranden | An abstract life

Historian David Vermeiren reseaches how Vandenbranden assumed a key role in the post-war Belgian avant-garde and how he found like-minded people in the international art scene of the late fifties. As a result, he befriended artists like Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Yves Klein and François Morellet. Although Vandenbranden was well informed of the international scene, he was not just a follower. He developed a personal style and remained true to his principles in spite of new realism’s frontal attack on abstract art.

This study comprises the 1950-1985 period, from Vandenbranden’s education right up to his artistic maturity, and focuses specifically on his role within the artistic groups Art Abstrait, Formes, Nieuwe Vlaamse School, VECU and the International Workgroup for Constructive Art.