ROOSEN, Gerard

Author Bio

          This subtle, yet tremendously effective, floral piece dates to around 1925 and typifies Roosen’s approach to flower painting. The similarity to the work of Jean Laudy is not coincidental as it was his friend Jean Laudy that persuaded him to take up painting in 1920. Prior to this Gerard Roosen had devoted his life to printing and had established himself as a key figure in the Belgium typographic community.

          Gerard Roosen was born in Louvain in 1869 and as a young man studied there at the Academy. In 1886, in order to continue his education, he enrolled at the Academy of Brussels where he studied printmaking and book-binding. He remained at the Academy for ten years and became an associate professor. In 1903 he was offered the position of Professor of Typography at the Cercle Typographiques de Bruxelles, a position he held for over thirty years. In his capacity as Head Professor he encouraged the establishment of a National Library which culminated in 1910 with the opening of the Musee du Livre in Brussels.

          After a distinguished career, Gerard Roosen died in Woluwe, close to Brussels, in 1935.

Lit;    Arto

          P. Piron