René Heyvaert

1974-1975

Drawing, 42.1 x 33.1 cm.
Materials: paper

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. S0392).

René Heyvaert was restricted throughout his adult life by a digestive disease acquired in the Congo. The illness caused him bodily complaints, but also brought on an inner unrest, no doubt reinforced by his philosophizing, reflective mind. For Heyvaert, art was a way of escaping from his physical and mental problems. Using abstract geometric forms and pattern in different colors, he made a host of drawings and collage-like paper constructions and assemblages. Heyvaert found some calm in his slow and precise approach to the making of these sober, ‘modest’ works. These works demonstrate the meditative side of Heyvaert’s art: in this case, his handling of the motif is more important than the resulting work.

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The M HKA is a museum for contemporary art, film and visual culture in its widest sense. It is an open place of encounter for art, artists and the public. The M HKA aspires to play a leading role in Flanders and to extend its international profile by building upon Antwerp's avant-garde tradition. The M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic questions and wider societal issues, between the international and the regional, artists and public, tradition and innovation, reflection and presentation. Central here is the museum's collection with its ongoing acquisitions, as well as related areas of management and research.

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