Henri Evenepoel and Louise de Mey: Star-Crossed Cousins/Lovers

In honor of Valentine’s Day, this is the second in a series of three love stories, featuring artists in the Snapshot exhibition—Pierre Bonnard, Henri Evenepoel, and Edouard Vuillard—and the ladies they loved. Today’s story is that of Belgian artist Henri Evenepoel and his lady love Louise de Mey.

“ . . . I felt a mission, a duty, a usefulness, a reason to be: together we struggle, suffer, oh yes! horribly, but I have no regrets because I have found a soul to fortify mine.”

– Henri Evenepoel, 1897

Henri Evenepoel, Louise at Wépion, summer 1897. Modern gelatin silver print, 2011, from original negative, 1 1/2 x 2 in. © Archives of Contemporary Art in Belgium–Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.

Henri Evenepoel’s life could be the basis of a fantastically dramatic HBO or BBC miniseries. His short life was punctuated by love, sickness, and brilliant artistic talent. His love story, almost Shakespearean in its tragedy, began—where else?— in Paris.

Evenepoel arrived in Paris in 1892 at the age of twenty. He quickly fell in love with his new city and with his cousin, Louise de Mey. Yes, his cousin. To add more drama to an already uncomfortable situation, Louise was married with two small girls, Henriette and Sophie. But that didn’t stop Evenepoel and Louise from falling in love and producing a son, Charles, in 1894.

Not surprisingly, Louise figures prominently in Evenepoel’s work. He loved photographing and painting her, as well as their son and her two daughters. His affection for her (and her affection for him) is most prominent in his photograph of her from summer 1897 (above). In the photo, an ornately dressed Louise smiles at her lover, who has immortalized their undeniable joy and captured a shining moment in the history of hats.

Henri Evenepoel, The White Hat, 1897. Oil on canvas, 22 3/8 x 18 1/8 in. Collection of Eric and Louise Franck, London.

Evenepoel would later use the photograph as the basis for his 1897 painting The White Hat. His numerous photographs and paintings of Louise and her three children attest to Evenepoel’s belief that every artist must work from his heart to produce important work. It’s clear from the photographs and paintings on display in the exhibition that his heart belonged to Louise, her two girls, and their son Charles. From the moment he fell in love with Louise, Evenepoel said he pursued his work with a passion inspired by his love for her and the children. Sadly, Evenepoel died of typhoid in 1899 at the young age of 27 . We can only speculate where Evenepoel’s career would have taken him— in letters to his father he wrote often of wanting to be a photographer—but his promise as both a young painter and photographer lead one to believe Evenepoel would have only grown in talent and prominence had he lived longer. He left behind heartbreakingly sincere photographs and beautiful paintings of those he loved.

Henri Evenepoel, (left) Charles standing in his striped jersey, spring 1899. Modern gelatin silver print, 2011, from original negative; 2 x 1 1/2 in. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Archives of Contemporary Art in Begium. (right) Charles in a Striped Jersey, c. 1898. Oil on canvas; 28 ¾ x 19 5/8 in. King Baudouin Foundation, Brussels, Gift in honor of Anne and André Leysen.

8 thoughts on “Henri Evenepoel and Louise de Mey: Star-Crossed Cousins/Lovers

  1. Pingback: “Tangible, Eternal Souvenirs” « GREY SQUARE

  2. Pingback: Henri evenepoel | Firstloveconsu

  3. Louise de May is my great great grandmother. In this picture she looks just like my mum, who is also called Louise!

      • We’re happy that this blog post has traveled along with the works and that others have the opportunity to make Evenepoel’s acquaintance.

    • David is my nephew, Louise is my sister. As a family, we follow the paintings of HE and try to see them wherever they are. The family likenesses are extraordinary. My Granny, (the youngest daughter) used to tell us stories of HE and the painters she met as a child in Paris.

      • Hello,

        In the context of historical research concerning HE’s son Charles, I’m trying to locate his descendants. If you have any info, please contact me.

        Thank you very much for your cooperation.

        Best regards,

        Jan Van de Vel

        reporters1@gmail.com

Leave a Reply