James Ensor's Wicked Sense of Humor on View at MoMA

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Calvary" (1886) by James Ensor (b. Belgian). Pencil, crayon, and oil on paper, 6 3/4 x 8 3/4"

NEW YORK---The Museum of Modern Art presents James Ensor—the first exhibition at an American institution to feature the full range of his media in over 30 years. Ensor (1860–1949) was a major figure in the Belgian avant-garde of the late nineteenth century and an important precursor to the development of Expressionism in the early twentieth. In both respects he has influenced generations of later artists. The densely presented exhibition of over 100 works, examines Ensor’s allegorical uses of light including in his religious art, along with his wicked satire which takes shape in his obsession with carnival masks that are both fantastical and frightening.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): "James Ensor" (Ends September 21, 2009); 11 West 53 Street, Midtown Manhattan Precinct, New York; moma.org