Background
Walter Leblanc was born on December 26, 1932, in Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Walter Leblanc was born on December 26, 1932, in Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium.
In 1949 - 1954 Walter trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and then at the National Higher Institute in 1955 - 1956 in Antwerp. His studies were dominated by figurative art.
After his studying, Walter evolved in the direction of monochrome art, the op-art and the kinetic art. The activities of the G58 group in 1958 - 1962 in the Hessenhuis in Antwerp, of which he was the co-founder, were guiding by Leblanc. He came into contact with the international avant-garde, such as the German Zero group, Zero from the Netherlands, and became a member of the international movement Nouvelle Tendance.
In 1959 Leblanc introduced the torsion as a basic element in his work. In the "Twisted Strings", twisted cotton threads were stretched on a monochrome, usually white, surface. Depending on the movement of the viewer and the changing light on the relief, a vibrating, optical effect was created in the eye of the participant. In the "Mobilo Statics" the cotton threads were replaced with two-tone polyvinyl ribbons. "The Torsions" developed further into free standing sculptures made of varnished metal or wood. In 1961 Leblanc had his first solo exhibition, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In 1970, he took part in the 35th Venice Biennale. In 1975, the "Archetypes" were created. It was a programmed series, in which Leblanc, through drawings and sculptures made from oxidised steel, investigated the combination possibilities of geometric basic forms, such as the triangle, the square, the circle and their derivatives.
From 1977 to 1986 Walter Leblanc taught at the National Higher Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning in Antwerp. On January 14, 1986, the artist was killed in a car accident.
Torsion Mobilo Statique N. 0909
Torsion Mobilo Statique B.702
Untitled
Mobile-Static M 0 27
Twisted Strings PF X 369
Twisted Strings 100 X 126
Twisted Strings
Torsions Mobilo-Static
Torsions 40F.90
Torsions Mobilo-Static - Weiss auf Schwarz
Torsions Mobilo-Static
Torsions to 198
Twisted Strings, TX 1026
Torsions – CO 414
Torsions to 9
Walter's sense of monumentality and a clean geometric design, as well as the modular, serial and systematic structure of his works, show kinship with minimalism. But in contrast to the industrial character of minimal art, Leblanc's works bear a poetic and subtle simplicity.
