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Belgian artist of the 19th century, Félicien Rops has acquired a preeminent place among the masters of modern design by producing innovative paintings, prints, illustrations and drawings that will inspire future generations.

Provocative and controversial, it is part of the European symbolism, a movement that rejects the materialistic values of modern society and is characterized by an attraction to the esoteric. The artist is distinguished by the quality of his prints and his use of drypoint or etching, techniques that allow him to create detailed and expressive works, with particular attention to textures and colors.

Félicien Rops explores themes of sexual morality, the loss of innocence, and the fragility of human life. He finds a certain pleasure in defying his bourgeois origins and the traditional representations of the nude, which he upsets with his pictorial descriptions of Parisian brothels and human “embraces.” He also focuses on the study of religion, death and the decadence of 19th century society in dark and mysterious works.

Baudelaire, with whom Rops shares a certain anticonformism, describes the Belgian cartoonist as “the only true artist” in a letter to Edouard Manet. Reciprocally admiring the striking modernity of their works, Baudelaire invited Rops to illustrate his poetry collection. The Flowers of Evil, in particular the frontispiece of the censored poem The Wrecks.

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In 2022, in order to continue sharing and making the work of the Belgian artist accessible to all, the Felicien Rops Museum de Namur has made the exceptional acquisition of sixty-six works from the King Baudouin Foundation.

With its engraving The True Mirror of Witchcraft, offered for sale by Galerie AB, Félicien Rops depicts an occult and esoteric environment in a delicate and controlled way. Her feminine figures, sensual and seductive, take shape in a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere. In particular, the work was presented during the exhibition”Les Relations de Monsieur Wiertz“at the Félicien Rops Museum in 2007 and chosen to illustrate the cover of the catalog.

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