Rene Guiette was an intelligent and sensitive artist with a great interest in the artistic innovations of his time. His quest, leading to cubism, expressionism and ultimately abstraction, made him one of the most interesting Belgian artists of the 20th century. He made his debut from 1919 with figures influenced by Flemish expressionism and via a Cubist period - mainly with ships and harbors - came to an abstraction that was related in serenity to the Zen teaching. The painter was also involved in photography, provided art critics under the pseudonym Blaise Distel and in 1927 had the famous architect Henri Le Corbusier design his house in Antwerp.