Benoît Gilsoul was born in Namur, Belgium in 1914. After completing his primarystudies and his Greek-Latin humanities, he entered the Academie Royale des Beaux Arts, the top Belgian Art College from which he graduated in 1938. During the six years at the Academie, my father acquired a solid artistic training. By 1933, he had already founded the sécessionist art group: “L’Esquisse,” an influential group of young artists in Belgium that late developed into the group “Salon National des Jeunes Artistes.” In 1935, while still at the Academie, he collaborated in the design for the entrée Reine Astrid and the pavillon de la vie Catholique at the World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium. During that same year, he also undertook an extensive study tour with Nicolas de Staël, a close friend and fellow student. Upon graduation from the Academie, Gilsoul traveled extensively in Italy, France and Spain painting and drawing continuously.

12 x 9 x 3 in

2 lb