Les XX (French:Les Vingt,pronounced[levɛ̃];lit. 'The 20') was a group of twentyBelgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by theBrussels lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneurOctave Maus. For ten years, they held an annual exhibition of their art; each year 20 other international artists were also invited to participate in their exhibition. Painters invited includeCamille Pissarro (1887, 1889, 1891),Claude Monet (1886, 1889),Georges Seurat (1887, 1889, 1891, 1892),Paul Gauguin (1889, 1891),Paul Cézanne (1890), andVincent van Gogh (1890, 1891 retrospective).
Les XX was in some ways a successor to another group,L'Essor. The rejection ofJames Ensor'sThe Oyster Eater in 1883 by L'Essor Salon, following the earlier rejection by the Antwerp Salon, was one of the events that led to the formation ofLes XX. The ideal of the group responded to the theories of Viollet le Duc, in particular that of the integration of the so-called minor arts (decorative arts) with the major arts (architecture).
In 1893, the society ofLes XX was transformed into "La Libre Esthétique".
Les XX was founded on 28 October 1883 in Brussels and held annual shows there between 1884 and 1893, usually in January–March. The group was founded by 11 artists who were unhappy with the conservative policies of both the official academic Salon and the internal bureaucracy ofL'Essor, under a governing committee of twenty members. UnlikeL'Essor ('Soaring'), which had also been set up in opposition to the Salon,Les XX had no president or governing committee. InsteadOctave Maus (a lawyer who was also an art critic and journalist) acted as the secretary ofLes XX, while other duties, including the organization of the annual exhibitions, were dispatched by a rotating committee of three members. A further nine artists were invited to join to bring the group membership ofLes XX to twenty. In addition to the exhibits of its Belgian members, foreign artists were also invited to exhibit.[1]
There was a close tie between art, music and literature among theLes XX artists. During the exhibitions, there were literary lectures and discussions, and performances of new classical music, which from 1888 were organised byVincent d'Indy,[2] with from 1889 until the end in 1893 very frequent performances by theQuatuor Ysaÿe.[3] Concerts included recently composed music byClaude Debussy,Ernest Chausson andGabriel Fauré. Leading exponents of theSymbolist movement who gave lectures includeStéphane Mallarmé,Théodore de Wyzewa andPaul Verlaine.[1]
Together with Maus, the influential juristEdmond Picard and the Belgian poetEmile Verhaeren provided the driving force behind an associated periodical,L'Art Moderne, which was started in 1881. This publication aggressively defendedLes XX from attacks by critics and members of the visiting public. Picard polemically fomented tensions both with the artistic establishment and withinLes XX. By 1887, six of the more conservative original members had left, sometimes under pressure from Picard and Maus, to be replaced by artists who were more sympathetic to the cause. Altogether,Les XX had 32 members during the ten years of its existence.[1]
The 1884, 1885 and 1886 exhibitions were held at thePalais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. The later exhibitions were all held at theMuseum of Modern Art of Brussels.[11]
The first of ten annual exhibitions was held on 2 February at thePalais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.[6]
Apart from the members ofLes XX, there were exhibitions byAdriaan Jozef Heymans,Jan Stobbaerts,Auguste Rodin,James Abbott McNeill Whistler andMax Liebermann.[12][13]
Catulle Mendès discussedRichard Wagner.[14]
Exhibition ofXavier Mellery[6] andJan Toorop.[10]
Exhibits ofPierre-Auguste Renoir,[4]Odilon Redon[15] andClaude Monet, includingLe pont d'Argenteuil andLa Manneporte à Étretat.[14]
First performance ofCésar Franck'sViolon Sonata.[16]
Walter Sickert,[17]Camille Pissarro,Berthe Morisot andGeorges-Pierre Seurat exhibit, with Seurat and Signac present at the opening.[4] The major work shown is Seurat'sA Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.[5]
In July,Les XX had an exhibition inAmsterdam,The Netherlands.[11]
Exhibits ofAlbert Dubois-Pillet,[18]Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,Henri-Edmond Cross,James Abbott McNeill Whistler,[2]Paul Signac andOdilon Redon.[4]
First performance ofVincent d'Indy'sPoème des Montagnes.[16]
Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was one of the invited writers.[14]
Camille Pissarro,[5]Maximilien Luce,[5]Henri-Edmond Cross,Gustave Caillebotte,[2]Paul Cézanne,[18]Albert Dubois-Pillet,[18]Paul Gauguin andGeorges Seurat exhibit.[4] Included is Gauguin's masterpieceVision After the Sermon.[10]
At the first concert, the music was composed byCésar Franck,Pierre de Bréville,Ernest Chausson,Gabriel Fauré andJulien Tiersot. The music was played in part by theQuatuor Ysaÿe, as happened in the next few years.[3] The second concert was centered on Gabriel Fauré, with additional music by d'Indy,Charles Bordes andHenri Duparc.[3]
In July,Les XX had an exhibition inAmsterdam,The Netherlands.[11]
Exhibits by invited artists includingOdilon Redon,[15]Paul Cézanne,[2]Paul Signac,Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,[7]Alfred Sisley,Paul Gauguin andVincent van Gogh.[14] During the 1890 expo Vincent van Goghexhibited six paintings and soldThe Red Vineyard, the most significant painting he sold during his lifetime (bought by fellow artist and 1890 exhibitor Anna Boch, whose brother Eugene Van Gogh rendered in his famous 1888 painting 'The Poet'.) .[19]
Three concerts were given, with the first centered on Belgian composers likeAuguste Dupont,Léon Soubre,Joseph Jacob,Paul Gilson andGustave Huberti.[3] The second and third concert focused on the French composers, with works by Fauré, Franck, d'Indy, and Castillon in the second concert.Vincent d'Indy performed hisSymphonie Cévenole in the third concert.[20] Other composers whose work was performed were Fauré, Franck, Bréville, Bordes, Chausson,Albéric Magnard andPaul Vidal.[3]
Stéphane Mallarmé gave a lecture onAuguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam;Edmond Picard discussesMaurice Maeterlinck,Emile Verhaeren andCharles Van Lerberghe.[14]
Exhibitions ofGeorges Seurat,[4]Camille Pissarro,[5]Alfred Sisley,[14] andJules Chéret.[18]
First exhibitions of decorative art, including posters and book illustrations byWalter Crane,Alfred William Finch's first attempts at ceramics,[21] and three vases and a statue byPaul Gauguin. Retrospective forVincent van Gogh. Catalogue cover designed byGeorges Lemmen.[22]
Memorial concert forCésar Franck and a second concert with new work byVincent d'Indy,[2] and work by other followers of Franck, including Bordes, Duparc, Bréville, Chausson, Tiersot, Vidal, andCamille Benoît. Also played was work by Fauré andEmmanuel Chabrier.[3] A third concert focused on Russian composers, with works byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,Alexander Borodin,Nikolai Shcherbachov,Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov andAlexander Kopylov.[3]
Pottery exhibited byAuguste Delaherche, and embroidery designs byHenry Van de Velde.[23] Invited artists includeMaximilien Luce,[5]Léo Gausson[18] andMary Cassatt.[14]
Retrospective ofGeorges Seurat with 18 paintings, includingLa Cirque andLa Parade.[23]
Three concert evenings were organised. The first concert presented the first version ofPaul Gilson'sLa Mer,Guillaume Lekeu'sAndromède and music byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,Alexander Glazunov, andFranz Servais.[24] The second showcased music byAlexis de Castillon,César Franck,Charles Bordes,Louis de Serres andEmmanuel Chabrier.[3] The final concert included the first performance ofVincent d'Indy'sSuite in D andErnest Chausson'sConcert.[16] The other music played was composed byGabriel Fauré, Charles Bordes,Camille Chevillard andAlbéric Magnard.[3]
More design was exhibited, including a table byAlfred William Finch, embroidery byHenry Van de Velde, and objects byAlexandre Charpentier.[23]
Paul Verlaine discussed the contemporary poetry.[14]
The first concert was centered on work by César Franck and the first performance ofErnest Chausson'sPoème de l'amour et la mer The second concert contained works by d'Indy, Castillon, Fauré, Chabrier and Bréville.[3] The third and final concert featured the première ofGuillaume Lekeu'sViolin Sonata,[16] with also performances of compositions byCharles Smulders,Paul Gilson,Dorsan van Reysschoot andAlexis de Castillon.[24]
