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About Jan Burssens
Jan Burssens (1925-2002) was a Flemish painter recognized as one of the leading figures in existentialist material painting in Belgium. Burssens' father was a pioneer in the field of African studies at the University of Ghent and his brother-in-law, Dan Craet, became a well-known architect. After World War II, Jan Burssens was one of the first artists in Flanders to react against the prevailing expressionism, creating a form of abstract dripping art. Influenced by the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, his style draws from the dripping abstraction of Jackson Pollock and the surreal defiguration of Francis Bacon. He received limited formal training, initially at St. Lucas in Ghent and later on a year at the Academy of Ghent.
However, he remained largely self-taught and eventually became a teacher himself. Burssens was a founding member of the group 'Art Abstrait', but left the group due to internal disagreements. He participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including Documenta, the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Biennale. His work is featured in prestigious public collections such as the S.M.A.K. in Belgium and the Guggenheim in New York. Burssens was recognized with awards at La Jeune Peinture Belge in both 1951 and 1954 and is highly sought after by important private collectors.