Philippe van Snick

Philippe Van Snick was a prominent Belgian abstract painter known for versatile artistic practice, encompassing paintings, wall paintings, installations, sculptures, and works on paper. His body of work is characterized by minimalistic forms and consistent use of colors that are intricately tied to the environments in which they are displayed.

Biography of Philippe Van Snick

Born in 1946, Philippe Van Snick received training in painting at Ghent's Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The 1970s marked a crucial period for the artist, during which his interest in systematic methodologies emerged, leading him to formulate a consistent color and numeral system. This groundwork laid the foundation for his unwavering artistic journey throughout the following decades.

Philippe Van Snick has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions in international institutions, including Museum M in Leuven, Witte de With in Rotterdam, De Appel in Amsterdam, Arcade in London, Espace d’Art Contemporain in Lausanne, Wide White Space Gallery in Antwerp, and S.M.A.K. in Ghent. The artist also took part in the 48th Venice Biennale.

Van Snick's artistic legacy extends to private collections across Europe, the USA, and Latin America, as well as prestigious international public collections. His works have been acquired by esteemed institutions, including MoMA in New York, Collection Frac Nord Pas de Calais in Duinkerke, Mu.ZEE in Ostend, M HKA in Antwerp, S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Collection of the National Bank of Belgium in Brussels, and Collectie Vedute in Amsterdam.

Philippe Van Snick's Art Style

In Van Snick's artistic philosophy, light and color function as scientific, objective descriptions while also serving as subjective codes drawn from our daily experiences.

His oeuvre frequently delves into the concept of time, particularly the dualism of day and night, the interplay between luminosity and obscurity, which symbolize the passage of time. Simultaneously, his creations endeavor to underscore the experiential connection shared between the observer and their surroundings. By occupying the liminal space between painting and sculpture, Van Snick's works beckon the predominant concerns of modernism and challenge the autonomy of the artwork and geometric abstraction as a universal language.

Employing uncomplicated and limited materials, consistently infused with a desire for order, Van Snick attempts to explore, analyze, and create space through minimalistic expression. In this process, the notion of painting in Van Snick's work expands beyond the boundaries of the painted surface.