Charles Delporte was born in Marcinelle in 1928. His family tree is full of well-known Belgian figures, such as his poet brother Jacques Viesvil, singer-songwriter brother Paul Louka and illustrator cousin Yvan Delporte, best known for his comic strip work.
Artistically, Delporte was among the latest of the Belgian fantastical surrealists. A teacher by training (he taught at l’Ecole Normale de Morlanwelz), Delporte – after frequenting the workshop of one of his country’s most esteemed sculptors, Victor Rousseau – decided to dedicate himself entirely to art. He began with sculpture in 1947, but painting, for which he was equally passionate, swiftly followed. Art critic Jean Pigeon was the first to believe in Delport’s talent and celebrated it in his newspaper Le Rappel in 1952.
Self-aware regarding his practice and trajectory, Delporte divided his own work into three distinct phases: genetic (a period favouring ovoid embryonic shapes), geophysical (a period inspired by science and mathematics), and nuclear (a period inspired by the movements of electrons). Some art historians identify a fourth ‘Rimbaud’ period – marked by finger paintings – shortly after the death of Delporte’s father. The ambitious Delporte promoted his work relentlessly, pushing for monumental public projects despite his art being the subject of controversies and sometimes even being destroyed.
Most of his monumental sculptural work (Chantre de la Liberté – best known as Trois Coqs – and Regard de Lumière) has found a home in his hometown of Charleroi and the surrounding region.
Some notable tributes to Delporte include a temporary museum set up in his honour in Damme from 1990 to 2013, and his nomination as a Knight of the Order of Saint Sylvester by Pope Jean-Paul II. He had already been received at the Vatican by Pope Paul VI to take reception of his painting Le Suaire, which is still on display there today.
Alongside his production in the plastic arts, Delporte also recorded several musical albums that fed off his poetry: Ballade du souvenir, Hommage à Picasso (1985), Delporte chante Verlaine (1986) and Au cœur de Charleroi (2005).
Delporte passed away in 2012.
