Early Life, Training and Early Career

Jef Verheyen was born on July 6, 1932, in Itegem, in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. His early years in this Belgian landscape provided the foundation for a life dedicated to visual expression. He pursued his formal education at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, where he began to refine his technical skills. Seeking to broaden his understanding of form and material, he later studied painting, drawing, and ceramics at the Hoger Institut.

In 1954, Verheyen’s professional life took a collaborative turn when he and his wife, Dani Franque, opened a ceramics studio and shop known as L’atelier 14. Located in Antwerp, the studio served as a space for their shared creative interests. This period of his life was marked by a hands-on engagement with tactile materials, a practice that would run parallel to his developing interests in the broader art scene.

As he moved further into his career, Verheyen became an active participant in the evolving artistic landscape of his country. During his younger years, he co-founded the Antwerp Groep 58, a group that reflected his engagement with the contemporary movements of the time. This involvement marked the beginning of a long period of experimentation and a search for a unique visual language.

Artistic Movements and the New Flemish School

Verheyen was a man who often walked his own path, even when he was at the center of the art scene. In 1958, he published a programmatic text titled Manifeste de l’essentialisme, a move that signaled his deep interest in the core of artistic expression. This period of searching led him to co-found the Antwerp Groep 58, but he soon found himself moving toward new ideas. By 1959, he had founded the New Flemish School, working alongside P. De Vree and Englebert Van Anderlecht. This group, known as the Nieuwe Vlaamse School, represented a significant chapter in his search for a unique visual language.

His connections extended far beyond the borders of Belgium. He was closely linked to the ZERO movement, acting as a vital contact person for the group and Belgian artists. This relationship brought him into contact with many influential figures of the time. He even collaborated on specific projects, such as a series of ten paintings titled Ni l’un ni l’autre, created with Van Anderlecht.

Technique and Evolution of Style

During the 1950s, Verheyen began exploring the depths of darkness through his black monochromes. He referred to this process as Schwarz darstellen, or depicting black. These early works often utilized oil on burlap to create foggy, atmospheric spaces that seemed to have no beginning or end. As his curiosity shifted toward the opposite extreme, he moved into white monochromes. Using wood and panel as his foundation, he produced works such as Espace Découpé and Monochromie [458].

His experimentation was tactile and restless. He did not limit himself to traditional paint, instead incorporating collage and mixed media to find new textures. He worked with silver paint, smoke, glue, and even nylon to build his surfaces. He was also interested in the physical relationship between the art and the room it occupied. To achieve this, he used different frames for every period of his work, intending for the paintings to emerge from the wall like a window.

By the early 1970s, his approach to materials had settled into a specific, disciplined rhythm. He moved away from the varied textures of his earlier years to work exclusively with matt lacquer on canvas. This shift marked a final, steady chapter in his technical evolution.

Exploration of Light and Color

Verheyen’s search for light was a physical pursuit that took him far from the darker, more somber atmospheres of his early work. His travels to Mexico and Brazil around 1967-1968 fundamentally shifted his perspective, as he sought to capture the intense, shifting qualities of southern light. This period of movement allowed him to move beyond the heavy textures of his past toward a more luminous way of seeing. He became preoccupied with how light behaves, leading him to create the De 4 Elementen series, which explored the fundamental qualities of earth, air, fire, and light.

By about 1962, his interest in the movement of light led to the creation of his Arcs works. In pieces like Zonneboog, Regenboog, and Maanboog, he attempted to render the way light bends and arches through space. This fascination with the ethereal continued as he moved into more complex, atmospheric compositions. He produced a series of luminous aurora works, including Lichtstroom, Lichtkolk, Lichtwenteling, and Lichtvogel, which focused on the fluid, swirling nature of light itself.

In the early 1970s, his experiments with light took on a sharper, more precise character. He moved toward what he called laser paintings, producing works such as Eonen and Arkturus. These pieces reflected a continued obsession with the way light cuts through and defines space, moving away from the foggy, dark atmospheres of his earlier years toward a clarity that felt almost scientific in its focus on the essence of illumination.

Later Years and Death

In 1974, Verheyen and his wife moved to southern France, seeking a different environment for their lives and work. He settled in Saint-Saturnin-d'Apt, in the Provence region, where he remained for the rest of his life. This period was marked by an intense focus on his creative practice, as he continued to explore the properties of light and space through his paintings.

His life came to an abrupt end on March 2, 1984, in Apt, within the Département Vaucluse. He died during a Judo match while on the tatami. His passing was sudden, occurring as a result of heart disease during the physical exertion of the sport.

Where to See the Works Today

Finding the physical traces of Verheyen’s exploration of light and space requires looking toward several significant institutions across Europe. His presence in major collections ensures that his experiments with monochrome and color continue to be studied. For instance, the Tate collection holds his 1972 work titled Untitled. This piece remains a part of the public record, allowing viewers to encounter his specific approach to abstraction firsthand.

His legacy is also kept alive through various exhibitions that revisit his contributions to the Belgian and international art scenes. In recent years, the Museum Morsbroich in Leverkusen hosted the exhibition gegen den Himmel. contre le ciel. in 2024. This follows a long history of recognition, including a 2010/2011 exhibition at the Langen Foundation in Neuss. These gatherings allow for a closer look at how his ideas evolved over the decades.

Other institutions have also played a part in preserving his history. The Kunstmuseum Winterthur presented the exhibition Antwerpen/Bruxelles '60 in 2002, looking back at the pivotal years of his early career. Through these various museums and collections, the quiet intensity of his work remains accessible to those interested in the history of mid-century abstraction.