Luc Peire

Painter Luc Peire (°Bruges 1916 – †Paris 1994) evolved from expressionism (in the wake of Constant Permeke) through a personal reduction and stylization of the human figure in the 1950) to presenting human beings as spiritual beings, symbolised in vertical movement and situated in a balanced space. In so doing Peire developed into the international master of abstract verticalism.

Crucial to this development was his artistic dialogue with Eduardo Westerdahl, Alberto Sartoris, Josep María Subirachs, Michel Seuphor, Leo Breuer, Mathias Goeritz and similar figures.

With his black and white ‘graphy’ as his trademark artform, Luc Peire attained the essence of his advanced verticalism. He applied this model of rhythmic optical art in his three mirror environments (1967, 1968 and 1973), attaining as ultimate consequence the climax of his artistic search: the infinite(l’infini) and space(l’espace).

Peire’s desire to cooperate with other artists, architects and urban planners gave birth to a number of integration projects in Belgium and France.

Luc Peire’s artistic career followed an international course. This is traced out in the diary entries of his wife, Jenny Peire-Verbruggen, De ateliers van Luc Peire, published posthumously in 2001 by Ludion (Ghent-Amsterdam) as De ateliers van Luc Peire, and annotated by Marc Peire.

In July 2003, Atelier Luc Peire – Jenny and Luc Peire Foundation opened the artist’s studio in Knokke, Belgium, to the public