Born: 1867 Aalst, Belgium
Died: 1941 Oudenaarde, Belgium
Year of Migration to the UK: 1914
Biography
Painter Valerius de Saedeleer was born in the De Kat district of Aalst, Belgium on 4 August 1867. He studied at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts and moved to Brussels at around the age of 20. While in Brussels, he became associated with the atelier of Franz Courtens, under whose supervision he worked for more than fifteen years. In 1889, De Saedeleer married Clementine Limpens and eventually settled in the village of Sint-Martens-Latem in 1893. After moving to Ghent, he became engaged with socialism and anarchism, before returning to Sint-Martens-Latem in 1898. Struggling to make a living as an artist during this period, he turned to farming. However, his return to the village marked a turning point in his career, reigniting his artistic ambitions. He began to gain recognition, exhibiting his work in prestigious circles, including the Berlin, Munich, and Viennese Secession exhibitions.
In 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, de Saedeleer sought refuge with his close family in Wales, moving to the village of Tynlon in Rhydyfelin. His 80-year-old father also soon joined them. Their move to Wales was facilitated by the philanthropic sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, along with their brother, David Davies, who had encouraged Belgian artists to settle in the Principality. The Davies siblings hoped that welcoming foreign artists would invigorate the region’s cultural life with fresh skills and perspectives. Among the Belgian artists who relocated to Wales during this period were Gustave van de Woestijne (1881–1947) and George Minne (1866–1941). The de Saedeleer family settled in a house named Tynlon in Rhydyfelin.
Despite his relatively brief time in the UK, De Saedeleer was actively involved in the local art scene, becoming part of artistic circles in Aberystwyth. His daughters embraced the creative opportunities available to them, studying weaving, bookbinding, and tapestry in the city. Elisabeth, his second daughter, formed a connection with Mary, the daughter of William Morris, founder of the Arts & Crafts Movement, from whom she learned the intricate art of tapestry weaving. The family became so adept in these crafts that they began teaching weaving to others. De Saedeleer is also believed to have carried out conservation works for the Aberystwyth University Collection. His time in Wales also included a solo exhibition at Alexandra Hall, where he showcased his new landscape paintings of Wales, particularly the Cardiganshire area, alongside scenes of his home country painted from memory. He was described as a skilled designer of winter scenes, focusing on capturing the distinct characteristics of the areas, rather than striving for a picturesque depiction (Western Mail, 1916, p. 7). His paintings also included scenes from the Rheidol and Ystwyth valleys. His work in Wales was heavily influenced by the techniques and styles he had developed during his formative years in Belgium, which he incorporated into his depictions of the Welsh landscape. Indeed, journalists described his style as an ‘expressions of one of who had come here when his own country was closed to him,’ (Welsh Gazette, 1921, p. 8). In 1920, de Saedeleer returned to Belgium; however, for a period of time, he considered moving to Wales permanently and leaning the language. Although he did not stay, de Saedeleer, nevertheless, felt deeply connected to the country and grateful for the kindness of people there. In 1921 a solo exhibition of his work was presented at the Burlington Galleries, London.
De Saedeleer was primarily a landscape artist whose work reflects a Symbolist and mystic-religious sensibility, deeply rooted in the heritage of 16th-century Flemish landscape traditions. He emerged as a leading figure within the early School of Latem, which pioneered the introduction of modernism into the Belgian art scene. His art is characterised by an austere lyricism, where Flemish winter landscapes are rendered with meticulous precision and a sense of timelessness. His works often feature undulating fields blanketed in snow, punctuated by skeletal trees and isolated farmhouses. The interplay of stark silhouettes against muted, atmospheric skies creates a sense of tranquillity tinged with melancholy. While de Saedeleer’s style recalls the Northern Renaissance’s attention to detail, particularly that of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, his flattened compositions and stylised forms align him with Symbolism and more modern tendencies.
Valerius de Saedeleer died in Oudenaarde, Belgium on 16 September 1941. His death was noted in the Welsh Gazette, which reflected on his time in Wales and emphasised his deep affection for the region: ‘Such was his affection for this part of the county that when he returned to Belgium he called his house near Oudenarde, Tynlon.’ (1941, p. 8). De Saedeleer’s pieces appeared on the Welsh antique auction scene well into the 1980s. Although he spent only a few years in the UK, his works are held in public collections in the UK, including at the National Museum Cardiff and the National Library of Wales, among others.
Related books
- Peter Wakelin, Refuge and Renewal: Migration and British Art (Bristol: Sansom and Company, 2019)
- Oliver Fairclough, Robert Hooze and Catherine Verdickt, ed., Art in Exile: Flanders, Wales and the First World War (Antwerp: Pandora, 2002)
- Caterina Verdickt, 'How a Young Girl Went to Wales during the Great War, to Become the Leading Lady at 'La Cambre' Institut supérieur des arts décoratifs in Brussels', in Caterina Franchini, Emilia Maria Garda, Marjan Groot and Helena Seražin, ed., MOMOWO: Women Designers, Craftswomen, Architects and Engineers between 1918 and 1945 (Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2018), pp. 30-45
- Jan Walravens, Valerius de Saedeleer (Anvers: De Sikkel, 1949)
- No author, ‘Death of Valerius de Saedeleer’, Welsh Gazette, 4 December 1941, p. 8
- No author, ‘Aberystwyth’, Welsh Gazette, 24 March 1921, p. 8
- No author, ‘Belgian Artist in Wales’, Western Mail, 17 February 1916, p. 7
- No author, ‘A distinguished Belgian Artist’, Welsh Gazette, 25 February 1915, p. 8
- Valery D’Hondt, 'Valerius de Saedeleer – Zijn leven en Zijne Kunst', Nieuw Leven voor het Arr. Aalst, Vol. 1, No. 19, 1909, p. 191
Public collections
Related web links
- Aberystwyth University, School of Art Collections
- ARC Museum, New Jersey, USA
- Artists and places: Valerius de Saedeleer
- Artist refugees and British art
- Galerie Oscar De Vos
- Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
- Museum of Fine Arts Ghent
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
- The Davies sisters: collecting art for Wales
Selected exhibitions
- Masterpieces by Belgian Artists (group show), Het Kunstuur Roeselare, Roeselare, Belgium (2023-24)
- Refuge and Renewal: Migration and British Art (group show), Royal West Of England Academy, Bristol and Museum of Modern Art, Machynlleth, Wales (2019-20)
- From Bosch to Tuymans: A New Story (group show), Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium (2017-18)
- Retrospectieve Valerius de Saedeleer: De tuin der afwezigen (solo exhibition), Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek, Deinze, Belgium (2006)
- Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles (group show), Palais des Expositions, Brussels, Belgium (1935)
- Venice Biennale (group show), Giardini, Venice, Italy (1932)
- Saedeleer's Carpets (solo exhibition), Palais des beaux-arts, Brussels, Belgium (1930)
- Valerius de Saedeleer (solo exhibition), Burlington Gallery, London (1921)
- Valerius de Saedeleer (solo exhibition), Plynlymon House, Aberystwyth, Wales (1921)
- Valerius de Saedeleer (solo exhibition), Alexandra Hall, Aberystwyth, Wales (1916)
