Luc Devondel Profile Picture

Luc Devondel

Back to list Added Dec 9, 2007

A talented Brussels 'ketje'

Lucas Devondel (François for this family) was born with his twin brother Jos in Evere near Brussels on December 30th 1927. His talent for drawing became apparent at a very young age. He was nearly 10 years old when he was drawing his first ' Descent from the cross' (inspired on the Rubens painting) on assembled paper. He took it to school: ‘'they could not believe their eyes'.
He was twelve when he made his first real painting; it was a portret from his godfather on canvas with 'real' paint from an artshop in the street a couple of houses from his home. See in portraits: ‘Peter van de Zetel’.
In 1943 he started working in a bank (ASLK now Fortis) where he made a career of over 40 years. But during all this time he kept on painting, drawing and he also played theater with the amateurs
From 1946 to 1948 he followed some courses at the artschool of Brussels. Aterwards he did a year in the artschool of Molenbeek and later a year (1950) in the artschool of Sint Joost Ten Node. He studied also the painting of nudes with the painter Taeleman in Brussels. Another love was theater where he especially enjoyed reciting the stories of the ‘Ketje’ (Brussels poet who made his poems in the Brussels dialect).
In 1954 he married Nellie Beens and she became his favorite muse and a little while later followed three children, Hilde, Marleen and Stefan. They have not so fond memories of having to pose for hours in a row but at the same time they enjoyed the privilege of a dad able to draw their schoolwork with great precision and craft.
With other bank colleagues Luc did several exhibitions of his work. With local organizations he participated in group exhibitions in Sint-Genesius-Rode where he lived and in neighbouring towns like Lot. His last exhibition was solo also in Sint-Genesius-Rode in the Boesdaelhoeve (farm next to the family home). He cannot remember the date of this last exhibition but he knows that from the sales they could afford a holiday in Spain with the whole family.
His dream is to organize an exhibition with his twin brother who is also an artist but he has never found the time, the money and the energy.
He will be 80 in a couple of weeks. His children thought a virtual gallery with his paintings and drawings would be the right present to honor his life's work.

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