Frans MASEREEL (1889-1972), „Philosophen“, 1963

Frans Masereel studied in Ghent at the École des Beaux-Arts. Trips to England and Germany inspired him to create his first etchings and woodcuts. He illustrated for the artistic and literary magazine Lumière published in Antwerp in August 1919, a fact that generated renewed interest in wood engraving in Belgium and in introducing Expressionism in early 20th-century Belgium.

Masereel's woodcut series, mainly of sociocritical content and of expressionistic form concept, made Masereel internationally known. Masereel also drew illustrations for famous works of world literature by Thomas Mann, Émile Zola and Stefan Zweig. In 1921 Masereel painted his famous street scenes, the Montmartre paintings. In the 50s and 60s, he published works which differ from his previous "novels in picture" by presenting variations of a subject instead of being a continuous narrative.

Masereel had strong links with Germany. He lived for a time in Berlin, where his closest creative friend was George Grosz. After 1946 he worked for several years as a teacher at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste in Saarbrücken. In 1987 the Frans-Masereel-Stiftung was founded in Saarbrücken.