17/02/2026
🎭 Carnival is in full swing — with Mardi Gras just around the corner. In Flanders, carnival traditions differ from town to town — festive, slightly mischievous, and sometimes wonderfully absurd. A spirit that also found its way into art.
When it comes to masks, one name stands out: James Ensor, the iconic painter from Oostende Ensorstad. 🎨
🐚 Ensor lived and worked in the studio above his mother’s curiosity shop. Surrounded by shells, souvenirs and carnival masks, he found endless inspiration for the strange, satirical universe that would define his art. 👺✨
🤡 Ensor’s masks don’t hide people — they reveal them. Behind their bright colours, he exposes vanity, human folly and the theatre of society. His masked figures hold up a mirror — unsettling, humorous and sharp at the same time.
🖼️ Probably his most celebrated mask-painting ‘The Intrigue’ can be admired at the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen — but today we’re sharing another gem from his carnivalesque universe!
📷 James Ensor, ‘The ‘The Strange Masks’ (1892), collection Fine Arts Belgium, Brussels / photo: J. Geleyns – Art Photography (currently not on view).
Let Ensor’s masked world inspire your next cultural journey to Flanders. Happy Carnival! 🎉