° 31/07/1886, Antwerp – † 4/01/1952, Ostend
Permeke washed ashore in Ostend at a very young age. He grew up there and the city never let him go. The fishermen and their lives, marked by the unforgiving sea, became anchored in his work.
In the Vuurtorenwijk (Lighthouse District), amidst the working-class people, he developed his own expressive style, moving away from the soft luminism of his contemporaries. With bold brushstrokes and colors that reflect the North Sea, Permeke gave a face to the hard but proud life of fishermen. His iconic work The Ostend Fisherman is just like the city itself: powerful, sometimes raw, but always with a warm heart.
After a brief stay in England during World War I – don’t worry, he came back – his style became even grander and more impressive. Today, his work shines in the Permeke Museum in Jabbeke, while the city, with its wind, sea, and fishermen, continues to breathe the soul of his art.
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