Marcelle van Caillie (1919-1990) - Sire Halewyn

Expressionist painting by Marcelle van Caillie (1919-1990)

Title “Sire Halewijn”, 1949
Oil on canvas on board (marouflé)
65 x 55.5 cm (frame 69 x 59 x 4 cm)
Signed and dated lower right

The title refers to a medieval song whose main character, Halewyn, inspired many artists (including Fernand Khnopff). This is an early work from the "portrait series."

Biography:

Marcelle van Caillie was born in June 1919, the daughter of a mother who served in the French secret service during World War I. She grew up in a wealthy home on the outskirts of Bruges, largely raised by the cook, and there discovered her love of everyday life and nature—especially the forest on the family estate, which was later felled during World War II.

After training with Othon Friesz in Paris, Van Caillie was given a solo exhibition at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels in October 1941, at the age of only 21 — a remarkable achievement for a young female artist in wartime.

After the war, she married an architect, but only found true freedom and happiness in 1954 when she met a British soldier. In 1955, she divorced—a rare act of independence for a woman at the time—and moved to Great Britain with her daughter, Karin.

In London, she further developed her visual artistry. Free from client expectations, she experimented with avant-garde techniques and gained recognition in European galleries. Her work was reviewed by many renowned art critics.

In 1961 Van Caillie took part in a group exhibition at the Grabowski Gallery in London entitled “five Belgian printers from London”. The other participants were: Maurice Jadot, Lucette Heuseux, J. Kervyn de Meerendré and Edouard Mesens.

In 1969, Callie unfortunately had to stop painting due to illness.

Collections containing Marcelle Caillie's work include: Many collections in Belgium, France, America, and London, including Anthony Denney, Yvonne Crowther, Nicholas Guppy, and Madame de Bittencourt.

Exhibitions

Palais des Beaux Art, Brussels 1938
Galerie Memling, Bruges 1944
Galerie Memling, Knokke 1954
Drian Gallery, London 1961
New Vision Gallery, London 1961 and 1963
Aquascutum, London 1969
Galerie Suzanne de Coninck, Paris 1964
Galeria Numero, Florence 1963

Group exhibitions

Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford 1954
CAW Gallery, Antwerp, 1961
Grabowski Gallery, London 1961
New Vision Centre, London 1962
International Graphics, Belfast 1963
Artists of Numero, Milan 1964
Galerie Dagmar Wirth, Berlin, 1964
Galleria di Numero, Rome, 1964

This is a unique opportunity to purchase one of her earlier works. More information can be found online by searching for her name.