Many years in the past, back in 1986, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most amicable artists I have ever encountered – Marthe Wery. Her very first exhibition was held in the renowned Gemeentemuseum. Years later in 2011, the same museum hosted a retrospective of her work. But it was the 1986 exhibition that left a lasting impression on me – introducing me to a “minimalist” artist whom I had the opportunity to meet in person and whose work I greatly admired. It wasn’t the easiest kind of art to appreciate, but it was the first time I was truly captivated by an artist’s installation that transformed an entire room into a masterpiece. One room featured towering blue panels while the other was lined with bold red ones. We discussed these striking pieces and she even signed the catalogue I purchased. The catalogue itself had a deep green cover, one of the most beautifully designed ones I had ever sold during my time as a bookseller for the Gemeentemuseum. The fold-out pages mirrored the panels within the exhibition, and the print quality was exceptional.
Marthe Wery and Walter Leblanc are two of my most beloved Belgian artists. Belgium has produced countless renowned names in the art world over the last five decades – Cordier, Magritte, Delvaux, Bury, Verheyen, Peirre – and I personally believe that Marthe Wery’s name deserves a spot on that list. She was a highly original artist and a kind woman who created incredibly impressive works of art.
In the past 10 years www.ftn-books.com has collected some nice and important Marthe Wery titles.
