Overview

• His galleries Xavier Hufkens and Gladstone Gallery confirmed his death at 79 on August 15 without disclosing a cause.
• He began as a poet and made language central to his paintings, allowing English, French and Flemish phrases to blur into abstract imagery.
• He frequently used found wood, plastic and metal supports to subvert traditional canvas conventions.
• A 2021–22 retrospective that opened at Kunstmuseum Bonn and toured to The Hague and Winterthur solidified his standing in major European museums.
• His contributions earned him the Flemish Community prize in 2003 and the Ultima award in 2020.