James Ensor

Belgian painter and printmaker (April 13, 1860, Ostend - November 19, 1949, Ostend). Founding member of the art group Les XX. Best known for his fantastic paintings with skulls and masks, he is considered an important precursor to expressionism and surrealism. A lesser-known fact is that Ensor was also a musician and composer; although he took his music very seriously, he was never successful with it.