Ferdinand Pire, born in Brussels in 1943, hails from a line of illustrious painters. His father, Marcel, imparted his knowledge to him before he further honed his skills at the prestigious academies in Brussels and Cape Town. In his youth, Pire captured the beauty of landscapes and African culture in his paintings during his time in Congo and South Africa.
Upon his return to Europe, Pire devoted himself to mastering the chiaroscuro technique until 1980, heavily influenced by his stay in Italy. Following a period of Fauve art and contemporary intimacy, he delved into the world of glomyized art. His predecessor in Belgium, the renowned Floris Jespers who passed away in 1965, introduced Pire to this enigmatic and intricate technique. Pire was immediately drawn to it, fueled by curiosity at first, but then with immense passion. He embarked on a journey to uncover the secrets and complex alchemy behind the relatively unknown technique. Slowly but surely, he achieved complete mastery, and by 1987, he had reached the pinnacle of artistic excellence.
In 1989, a retrospective exhibition celebrating Pire’s thirty years of painting was held in his honor. And in April 1999, another retrospective showcasing a decade of varen églomisé paintings took place in the grandiose setting of Brussels City Hall, at the famous Grand-Place. The event was chaired by a prominent committee that came together to pay tribute to and support Pire’s remarkable achievements in art.
www.ftn-books.com has the Becker catalog now available.
