Alice Neel in
Shared Rooms
17 May—23 November 2025
Group Exhibition at Permekemuseum, Jabbeke, Belgium
A house full of rooms – shared with kin, blood relatives or a chosen family – can be a place of peace and safety, of contained aggression, or of love. Constant Permeke examines what makes us human and what binds us together. To capture the psychological depth and interpersonal dynamics of his subjects, he deliberately distorted their bodies. Through the robust materiality of thickly applied paint and rubbed-out charcoal – or with the delicate precision of pencil lines and diluted turpentine paint – he traversed the full spectrum of human experience, from stubborn perseverance to tenderness and spiritualization. His idiosyncratic figures, with their fragile poses, appear resigned to life. They seem trapped and constrained within cramped spaces. Though shimmering with raw, vivacious energy, they also exude melancholy, surrender, understanding and devotion.
Family and interpersonal relationships run like a thread through Permeke’s artistic practice. His work evokes a sense of togetherness, warmth and domestic intimacy – the longing and anticipation of birth, as well as the raw pain of loss and loneliness. Family life was deeply important to him. Permeke and his wife, Marietje, had six children, two of whom died in infancy. The search for connection remains a compelling theme for artists today, inspiring critical reflection through their work. Alice Neel (US, 1900–1984), who once described herself as a ‘painter of the people’, was a keen observer of human relationships and social inequality. Like Permeke, she painted those in her immediate surroundings – family, friends, and people on the margins of society – offering an unidealized portrayal of parenthood that often lacks tenderness. Maria Lassnig (AT, 1919-2014) also depicted raw, unfiltered scenes of everyday life, frequently focusing on couples and families. Her work is deeply rooted in her own physical experience. Birde Vanheerswynghels (BE, b. 1986) explores the vulnerability of her ‘chosen family’ and queer community through a series of portraits. Anne Daems (BE, b. 1966) searches for a connection with her father in the series My Father’s Garden. For her, the garden represents a harmonious refuge from the fast pace of life – a place where she finds a deeper bond with her family. Tom Hallet (BE, b. 1990) also seeks to capture the cosmic bond between parent and child through cycles in nature, where the concept of care plays a central role.