Martin Gayford

Strange, sinister and very Belgian: Léon Spilliaert at the Royal Academy reviewed

Plus: a pioneering little show devoted to Piranesi’s fizzy sketches at the British Museum

issue 29 February 2020
  • Comments

  • Léon Spilliaert

    Royal Academy, until 25 May

  • French Impressions: prints from Manet to Cézanne; Piranesi drawings: visions of antiquity

    British Museum, until 9 August

The strange and faintly sinister works of the Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert have been compared — not unreasonably — to those of many writers, Edgar Allan Poe among them. But as I walked round the Spilliaert exhibition at the Royal Academy, it was not any of these that came to my mind.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY 3 MONTHS FOR $5
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Start your 3-month trial today for just $5 and subscribe to more than one view

Read next

Trending

Jonathan Sacerdoti

Tehran’s cruelty is closer than we think

The arrest of eight men – seven of them Iranian nationals – across the United Kingdom in two separate counter-terrorism operations is a chilling reminder that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a distant threat. It is here, embedded within our cities, probing the limits of our law, our patience and our willingness to defend

Also in Arts Reviews

Also by Martin Gayford

Latest

Comments

Join the debate for just £1 a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.

Already a subscriber? Log in