7.3 Artistic Correspondents
As trailblazers for the presence and successes of Belgian symbolist artists at Italian exhibitions, the role of a number of cultural intermediaries has been of crucial importance. The first of these was the Belgian sculptor, professor and later (1898) director at the Academy of Brussels Charles van der Stappen (1843-1910) [4],1 who was charged by the Belgian government to direct the Belgian participation in the first editions of the Venice Biennale (1895-1899), in which he clearly promoted a ‘symbolist’ trend. The regular presence and the directive role of Van der Stappen in the first Biennales was partly due to his good relationship with the sculptor Emilio Marsili (1841-1926), who lived in Brussels for a short period and taught at the Academy of Venice.2
Another lesding intermediary was the critic Vittorio Pica (1864-1930) [5], who had stressed the importance of Belgian symbolist painting since 1895. He complained about the absence of prominent symbolist artists in Venice, and never failed to mention Henry de Groux (1866-1930), whose work he would relentlessly promote until 1920.3 In 1900, Biennale secretary-general Antonio Fradeletto (1858-1930) charged Pica to select French artworks for the exhibition and create a print room, called Black and White.4 At the first edition of the Biennale since Pica had become involved (1901), Belgian artists were dominantly present.5
However the art historian Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert was the most important artistic agent in this matter. Fierens-Gevaert worked at the Royal Museum of Brussels, from 1914 as Member of the Board, and from 1919 until 1926 as director. At the time of the International Exhibition in Milan he was also professor at the university of Liège. Fierens-Gevaert had started his collaboration with the Italian government in 1902. Before working for the 1906 Milan exhibition, he had a leading role in the First International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in Turin (1902). Here, the Italian symbolist sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi (1859-1933) [6] 6 probably played a decisive part in the choice of the artists, as we find a major number of Belgian symbolists in this exhibition.7
4
Anonymous,
Portrait of Charles van der Stappen, n.d,
photogravure, 32 x 47 cm (sheet)
5
Anonymous,
Portrait of Vittorio Pica, ca. 1900-1903
6
Anonymous,
Leonardo Bistolfi in front of his monument to senator Rosazza, 1909
Notes
1 He was probably introduced to Antonio Fradeletto (secretary-general of the Biennale) by Bistolfi. Van der Stappen participated in six editions of the Biennale.
2 Carraro 2008, p. 20.
3 Fanti 2018.
4 Venice, 6 November 1900 (ASAC, Fs, Scatole nere, no. 12, ‘Corrispondenza A-Z 1901’, fasc. Pica Vittorio).
5 On the presence of Belgian and Netherlandish prints in early twentieth century Italy and the B&W room at the Venice Biennale, see Fanti/Marini 2021 and the bibliography mentioned.
6 Enrico Thovez (1869-1925), Giorgio Ceragioli (1861-1947), Davide Calandra (1856-1915), and Guido Rey (1861-1935) were also on the jury for reviewing and selecting submitted artworks.
7 Charles Doudelet (1861-1938) showed some drawings; Henriette Calais (1863-1951) Âmes solitaires, Fontaine d’amour, and Vers la lumière; Fabry La force and another unidentified work; Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921) the drawings Mon cœur pleure, D’autrefois, and Iris, two designs for an ex-libris and Un ange, ex-libris of G. Montefiore; Victor Rousseau (1865-1964), Cantique d’amour, Cariatides, La muse du passé and La coupe du plaisir; Van der Stappen some bronzes.