Memory of a Summer

In the years leading up to World War I, the first bonds of friendship formed among artists like Gust De Smet, Frits Van den Berghe, and Constant Permeke. They were brought together through the young art promoter Paul-Gustave Van Hecke, who also connected them with the critic André De Ridder. During the cold winters in Ghent, they worked in modest studios in the Patershol district, while in the summer, they made their way to the scenic shores of the Leie, where earlier symbolists such as Claus and Van de Woestyne had already settled.

The summers spent by the Leie became the heart of new artistic camaraderie. Villa Malpertuis in Afsnee – owned by Van Hecke and fashion designer Honorine "Norine" Deschrijver – turned into a vibrant center of creativity. Boat trips, dinners under the trees, and conversations by the water brought together artists, writers, and collectors.

The painting Memory to a Summer (1926) by Edgard Tytgat serves as the starting point for this exhibition – a poetic snapshot of a generation of artists, collectors, and critics linked to Sélection and Le Centaure. Tytgat portrays a summer afternoon on the Leie, filled with a lively group: Frits Van den Berghe, Gust and Léon De Smet, Marc Chagall, Blanche Charlet, Floris Jespers, and many others. Some are easily identifiable, while others remain intriguingly anonymous. The exact identities of everyone in the scene are still partially a mystery. Art critic Paul Haesaerts was the first to attempt identifying the figures, but allow yourself to be carried away by the scene. Look, search, dream, and let this summer afternoon on the Leie come alive.