De Week van de Belgische Musea: Museumstuk van het Jaar

With Edgard Tytgat's masterpiece Memory of a Sunday from its own collection, MDD proudly takes part in the Museum Piece of the Year contest. Show your support by casting your vote!

In the 1920s, the Lys region became a vibrant meeting place for artists seeking creative renewal. A new generation, driven by a desire for artistic innovation, explored fresh styles, motifs, and techniques—drawing inspiration from international trends and their experiences in exile in the UK and the Netherlands. This movement would later be recognized as the Second Latem School.

Art promoter and gallery owner Paul-Gustave Van Hecke offered Villa Malpertuis in Afsnee as a gathering space. It was here, in 1926, that French-Russian painter Marc Chagall was welcomed. Remarkable photographs of this occasion have survived, capturing the artists of the Sélection movement together. Edgard Tytgat immortalized this moment in his painting Remembrance of a Sunday, a work that symbolizes the many artistic encounters along the Lys.

In the scene, Marc Chagall sits at the back of the boat with his wife, while Gust De Smet takes aim with a bow and arrow and Leon De Smet steers, accompanied by his wife. At the front, Frits Van den Berghe and (Oscar or Floris) Jespers engage in conversation. Also depicted are Norine, gazing into a mirror, and Paul-Gustave Van Hecke. Gallery owner Blanche Charlet steps out of the boat, while Tytgat himself captures the scene from a window.