Jos Albertartist • painterBrussel 1886-1981

Jos Albert had to work at a young age in the company of his father, who was an independent painter and decorator. However, he wanted to become a painter and that is why he was allowed to take evening classes at the Academy of Fine Arts Sint-Joost-ten-Noode. His experience as a painter-decorator, including the techniques of imitation marble and wood, would come in handy later as an artist.
Initially he painted still lifes and especially interiors, on which he often depicted his wife and son in an intimate, domestic atmosphere. From the early 1930s to 1955 he mainly painted landscapes. After that he decided not to paint human figures anymore, but to limit himself to still lifes. In the latter part of his career he worked very traditionally, both in subject matter and technique.

At the beginning of his career, Albert was mainly active in the free atelier l'Effort, which was founded in Brussels in 1898 in response to the policy of the official salons that excluded avant-garde artists. Initially he worked in a post-impressionist style with bright colours, but he soon came under the influence of Fauvism through his close contacts with Willem Paerels, Edgard Tytgat, Jean Brusselmans and Rik Wouters, among others. This group of artists would later be called the Brabant Fauvists. Around the 1920s, while staying in Paris for a few months, Albert made a foray into Cubism and Constructivism. His palette is then predominantly dark, with sombre colours. After his return to Belgium, however, he quickly distanced himself from this and discovered the realistic style of the Flemish old masters and Flemish Primitives around 1922. With precise lines, Albert painted in a meticulous, realistic style, to which he added supernatural elements. In this way he created his own magical reality on the canvas. He would continue to practice this style for the rest of his life and makes Albert the representative of Belgian Magic Realism.

Meanwhile, Albert had become an established and recognized painter. James Ensor was one of his close friends. He participated in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad and received various awards. Albert would remain active until his death at the age of 95.