A critical figure in modern and contemporary art in Belgium, painter Léon Wuidar has built a reputation across Europe through his carefully constructed geometric abstractions.
Read MoreLéon Wuidar was born in 1938 in Liège, Belgium, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Much of his childhood was spent alone, discovering collapsed buildings and abandoned spaces, which would later influence his artistic practice. His childhood was also marked by an interest in painting. The artist recalls seeing colour reproductions of Ben Nicholson paintings at a second-hand bookstore as a revelation for his artistic practice.
Wuidar started his career as a self-taught painter in 1955, beginning by exploring figurative painting. In the 1960s his practice evolved toward geometric abstraction. He has since actively exhibited throughout Europe for six decades.
In addition to his practice, Wuidar has been a drawing teacher since 1959, and began teaching graphic art at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Liège in the mid-1970s. He then dedicated himself full-time to painting at the age of 60. He continues to live and work in his hometown of Liège.
The meticulous nature of the artist is evident—from his choice of shapes in a composition, to his restrained colour palette, even to the thin wooden frames that adorn each of his canvases. He looks to modern artists such as Paul Klee and the Surrealists for inspiration, in addition to the Classical world, as he aims to create work marked by a sense of balance.
Wuidar's work may at first glance appear conceptual, but the meaning or representation behind each painting is often quite concrete. In the mid-1980s, the artist began to incorporate letters and words in his compositions, as well as figures. Other paintings represent everyday objects or include art historical references. These clever integrations of representation and abstraction reflect the humour often associated with Wuidar's practice.
Although best known for his paintings, Wuidar is a multidisciplinary artist, having worked with techniques as diverse as wood bas-relief and bookmaking and, since the 1990s, he has also worked with collage. In addition, the artist has kept a regular record of drawings and graphic research in his sketchbooks for the past five decades, reflecting his diligent nature and forming an important archive of the development of his long and varied career.
Wuidar's practice is heavily marked by his friendship with famed Belgian architect Claude Vandenhove, who also designed the artist's Brutalist home and studio. The architectural connections are evident in his canvases with their strong sense of geometry. Wuidar has also worked on projects with many other prominent Belgian architects.
Wuidar and Vandenhove met in the 1960s and went on to work together on various projects, notably the Sart Tilman Hospital in Liège in the 1970s. This project involved other artists engaged with geometric abstraction, such as Daniel Buren and Sol LeWitt. Wuidar's career evidently rests within this legacy of abstract painting in the 20th century.
Léon Wuidar's work is represented in collections throughout Europe, including Fernmeldetechnisches Zentralamt, Darmstadt, Germany; Dorstener Maschinenfabrik, Dorsten, Germany; Fondation IDAC, Mondriaanhuis, Amersfoort, Netherlands; Musée des Beaux-Arts; Brussels, Belgium; Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, Brussels, Belgium; and Musée de l'Art Wallon, Liège, Belgium.
Léon Wuidar has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions.
Solo exhibitions include: Léon Wuidar, White Cube Mason's Yard, London (2022); Léon Wuidar. À perte de vue, Mac's, Musée des Arts Contemporains, Grand-Hornu, Belgium (2021); Léon Wuidar, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, Switzerland (2020); Musée des beaux-arts, Verviers, Belgium (2001); Centre d'Art Contemporain, Brussels, Belgium (2000); and Musée Félicien Rops, Namur, Belgium (1999).
Group exhibitions include: Peinture partagée, Maison de la Culture, Namur, Belgium (2015); Abstractions géométriques belges, BAM, Mons, Belgium (2014); M'as-tu vu?, Palais des académies, Brussels, Belgium (2013); Un siècle d'art abstrait, Musée René Magritte, Brussels, Belgium (2010); Le cube au carré, and Musée Félix De Boeck, Drogenbos, Belgium (2008).
Léon Wuidar's website can be found here.
Articles on Leon Wuidar have been published in various publications, including The Guardian, Gallery Viewer, and COLLECT.
Rachel Kubrick | Ocula | 2022
