Alex Wauters

Born in Ghent, Belgium, Alex Wauters (1899-1965) was a successful artist and draftsman. Having an existing desire to pursue an education in the field of drawing, he studied technical drawing from the Nijverheidsschool where his father had also trained. Despite having any real training, Wauters became a master painter by painting in his amateur teacher’s studio for an extended duration. 

Chaos and confusion are recurrent in Wauters work as he drew most of his inspiration from frequent visits to the psychiatric hospital of Dr. Guislain. His subjects represent the emotions experienced by psychiatric patients and their delusions. Experiences of those patients drive the narrative of Wauters oeuvre with the subjects having dysmorphic bodies. Wauters makes a physical depiction of what is otherwise perceived as mental. An outsider perspective can be observed as he paints with random brushstrokes, creating a lingering thoughtful field of emotion.

Wauters works have been exhibited in the Museum of Fine Art in Ghent, where he served as a draftsman and an urban designer for the city council. His works have been offered at multiple auctions with prices going as high as four grand. Alex Wauters lived and worked in Ghent, Belgium till his demise.