Fernand Berckelaers (10 March 1901, inBorgerhout – 12 February 1999, inParis),pseudonymMichel Seuphor (anagram ofOrpheus), was aBelgian painter.[1][2]
Seuphor established a literary magazine,Het Overzicht, in Antwerp in 1921.[1][2] He moved in Dutch, Belgian, and Frenchavant-garde circles. He associated at various points withTheo van Doesburg andPiet Mondrian, and was influenced by their iconicNeo-plasticist works.[1] Along withJoaquin Torres-Garcia andPierre Daura, Seuphor founded the abstract artists' groupCercle et Carré which includedWassily Kandinsky andLe Corbusier.[1][3]
In 1934, Seuphor moved toAnduze in theSouth of France following his marriage.[1]
Seuphor wrote and edited five books;A Dictionary of Abstract Painting (Tudor Publishing Co., 1958),Abstract Painting: 50 Years of Accomplishment (Dell Laurel Edition, 1964), "The Sculpture of this Century" (George Braziller, Inc. NY, 1960), "Piet Mondrian: Life and Work" (Thames & Hudson, 1956)[4] and "Abstract Painting in Flanders (Fonds Mercator, 1974). These volumes, now out of print, remain among the most valuable documents of abstract painting & sculpture in the 20th century. The painting books have numerous color illustrations which document the various paths that abstract painting took, especially after World War II. The sculpture book has black & white photos that track both figurative as well as abstract sculpture from early 20th century through 1959. Also contains a short bio in the back of the book on each sculptor mentioned.
Seuphor also assisted with the Tudor companion volume of hisDictionary of Abstract Painting, theDictionary of Modern Painting, which documents all the various schools of painting in the 20th century, including both abstract and realist painting. Seuphor contributed to many exhibition catalogues.
He also owned a contemporary art collection of works byMarcelle Cahn,Adam Jankowski,Jean Piaubert,Jean Gorin,Jean Miotte,Aurélie Nemours andVictor Vasarely.
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