The figurative painter Luc Tuymans has curated a group show devoted to abstract art from Belgium that will open in September at Parasol Unit in London.

Despite being a seasoned curator, “The Gap: Selected Abstract from Belgium” will be Tuyman’s first curated show for a public institution in London.

Francis Alÿs, Untitled (2013)
Photo: Courtesy Francis Alÿs and his studio

The renowned figurative painter has gathered over 40 pieces by 15 artists from two successive generations working in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, and installation.

The artists featured in the exhibition include Francis Alÿs, Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen, Gaston Bertrand, Amédée Cortier, Raoul de Keyser, Walter Leblanc, Bernd Lohaus, Guy Mees, Gert Robijns, Timothy Segers, Boy & Erik Stappaerts, Philippe Van Snick, Jef Verheyen, and Pieter Vermeersch.

Raoul de Keyser, Zevende Linnen Doos (1971)
Photo: Peter Cox Courtesy Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp

The earlier works in the show follow the geometric abstraction and abstract constructivism tradition of artists like Piet Mondrian, the group De Stijl, the ZERO movement of the 1950s and ’60s, and the American color field painters.

Meanwhile, the more recent works by the younger artists could be seen as a reinterpretation of Modernist ideas from a contemporary perspective.

Boy & Erik Stappaerts, Polarization painting (2015)
Photo: Viktorbentley Studio

Earlier this year, Tuymans was found guilty of plagiarism after a legal battle with the photojournalist Katrijn Van Giel over a photo of politician Jean-Marie Dedecker, which Tuymans used to create his 2011 painting A Belgian Politician.

The ruling, which stated that Tuymans would be subject to a €500,000 ($579,000) fine if he made any further reproductions of Van Giel’s work or showed A Belgian Politician, sparked an international debate over questions of appropriation and copyright.

“The Gap: Selected Abstract from Belgium,” curated by Luc Tuymans, will be on view at Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art from September 9 – December 6, 2015. 

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