Floris Jespers (1889-1965) - De acrobaat

Floris Jespers (1889–1965)

The Acrobat
Early etching on Japanese paper – hand-signed – edition 18/100

A rare and early etching by Floris Jespers, titled The Acrobat, dating from his pioneering modernist phase. This work exemplifies Jespers’ fascination with the circus motif, a theme that occupied a significant place within the European avant-garde of the 1920s.

The composition centers on a stylized acrobatic figure, built from flowing contour lines and geometric structures. The combination of organic movement and abstract fragmentations betrays influences of Cubism and Expressionism, yet retains Jespers’ own lyrical signature. The line work is refined and precise, with subtle hachures and a richly graphic surface.

Printed on Japanese paper, which yields a particularly soft, almost velvety impression of the ink and a nuanced tonal rendering. The light transparency and the fiber structure of the paper enhance the intimacy of the work.

Specifications:
• Artist: Floris Jespers (1889–1965)
• Title: The Acrobat
• Technique: Etching
• Paper: Japanese paper
• Edition: 18/100
• Signed: Hand-signed (pencil)
• Period: Early modernist phase (ca. 1920s)
• Condition: Good condition; slight age-related marks consistent with age

This early print is considerably rarer than Jespers’ later colorful lithographs and gouaches. Graphic works from this period appear only sporadically on the market and are especially sought after by collectors of Belgian modernists and the interwar avant-garde.