Marcel Maeyer
People

Marcel Maeyer’s artistic debut took place in the early fifties. From the sixties onwards, he led a double life, balancing between his role as an artist (Marcel Maeyer) and his position as a professor of art history at the University of Ghent (Prof. Dr. Marcel De Maeyer).

Marcel Maeyer expresses himself in various disciplines such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and installations. There is no linearity but artistic continuity in his rich body of work characterized by stylistic pluralism and a sense of fragmentation. Marcel Maeyer is the eternal seeker, consistently taking on new challenges and analyzing various visual problems. In the sixties, he gained recognition with the cycle Vies des XII Césars, autobiographical emperors situated in the myth of the prevailing Pop Art, ironically referencing ancient cultural experiences. However, it is with his hyperrealistic paintings of circus sails and street views that Marcel Maeyer achieves widespread fame.

In the seventies, Marcel Maeyer increasingly worked with photos. He photographed cobblestones and ‘found objects.’ He would then transfer these photographic compositions onto canvas, adding an extra dimension. In the late seventies, he moved away from hyperrealism and sought something new. Yet, his recent work still maintains a connection with his hyperrealistic paintings. Similarities can be found in the photographic treatment: framing, ‘capturing,’ and the fragmentation of the image. He infuses this photographic perspective with life.

The exhibition at MDD does not intend to provide a comprehensive overview of his artistic career but aims to demonstrate the still vibrant dynamism in his work. This dynamism runs parallel to the evolution of new media, continually forcing him to observe and experience reality differently. This illustrates how intensely he continues to focus on ‘seeing’ and ‘learning to see.’