RKD STUDIES

'They come to Milan, full of gratitude to this Italy which their great ancestors have so often asked for lessons, and with the proud certainty that this second test, facilitated by the Belgian government, will earn them the ultimate confidence of all those who have ignored or denied them until today.'¹

The presence of Belgian idealist-symbolist painters at the 1906 International Exhibition in Milan marked a change in the attitude of Belgian institutions and critics toward this artistic circle, particularly in the judgement of the Belgian art historian Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert (1870-1926) [1]. While perceived as ‘retrograde’ and too ‘italianized’ at the end of the nineteenth century, the work of idealists was now seen as a ‘new’ school and aesthetic, that could be mobilized to prove the leading role of Belgium among modern nations. This is especially true for the hall of honor and the monumental paintings’ hall at the 1906 exhibition, where artists such as Albert Ciamberlani (1864-1956), Jean Delville (1867-1853), Émile Fabry (1865-1966) and Constant Montald (1862-1944) had the chance to exhibit their monumental canvases for the first time in Italy.

The aim of this short article is to analyze how the presence and success of these works at the 1906 exhibition relates to the declining relevance of symbolist art on the one hand, and the increasing importance of nationalism and museographic practices on the other. In order to do so, first, some preliminary remarks on the artistic ties between Belgium and Italy around 1900 and the role of cultural intermediaries are necessary.

1
Anonymous,
Portrait of Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert, n.d.