Ghent 1881 – 1966 Deurle
Belgian Painter
Still Life with Red Poppies
Léon De Smet was born on July 20, 1881, in Ghent and became a leading Flemish painter. He was the brother of Gustave De Smet, also a painter. Both brothers studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and were part of the second group of Sint-Martens-Latem, an artists’ community that embraced the simplicity and rural character of the Leie region as inspiration for their art. Within this circle, Léon maintained friendships with Valerius De Saedeleer, Maurice Sys, Constant Permeke, Frits Van den Berghe, Gustave Van de Woestyne, and his brother, the poet Karel Van de Woestijne.
At the outbreak of World War I, Léon De Smet fled to Great Britain, where he gained considerable recognition. In January 1917, he held a solo exhibition at the Leicester Gallery in London. Upon returning to Belgium in 1920, his work was exhibited at the Galerie Georges Giroux in Brussels. In 1953, he was honoured once again with a large retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent.
De Smet’s oeuvre includes influences from Impressionism, Expressionism, and Pointillism. His painting style varied from delicate brushstrokes, as seen in The Lovers (1911), to broader color planes, as in Lady with Fan (1924). His color palette is generally subdued yet rich in nuances, and his compositions exhibit a carefully balanced structure.
Major Works
- The Artist’s Wife (1904) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
- Landscape in Sint-Martens-Latem (1905) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
- Interior or The Lovers (1911) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
- Louise (1916) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
- Still Life with Porcelain (1919) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
- Lady with Fan (1924) – Groeningemuseum, Bruges
- Interior (1937) – Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
- Interior with White Azalea (1949) – Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
Museum Collections: Works by Léon De Smet are housed in various museums, particularly in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, the Groeningemuseum in Bruges, and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. On the initiative of Jeanne Baeckelandt, a museum dedicated to him was established in Deurle, but it was demolished in 2017.
Léon De Smet passed away on September 9, 1966, in Deurle. His art remains an important part of Flemish cultural heritage and continues to be valued for its unique style and technical mastery.
