It was as without a trace as ‘the righteous judges’, but after half a century scandal painting ‘De Kindervrienden’ of Dees de Bruyne pops up again (remarkable)
© FVV
The painting ‘De Kindervrienden’ of the Flemish provocative painter Dees De Bruyne, who had been without a trace since 1974, has surfaced again. It stood with a woman in the attic for years. The Mudel museum and the weekly report this Knack Tuesday evening.
Source: Belga
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De Bruyne painted ‘De Kindervrienden’ in 1972 as an indictment against child abuse. Those in power, such as Pope Paul VI, the socialist politician Alfons Vranckx and US President Richard Nixon, are depicted with naked children at a festively set table. The curtain caused a lot of fuss during an exhibition in Ghent in May 1974, after which it disappeared.
The « Children’s Friends »: Pope Paul VI, are suspicious American Cardinal Spellman of child abuse; Justice minister Alfons Vranckx, and on the far right Richard Nixon. – © FVV
The Ghent copywriter Walter Ertvelt has been looking for the work for years, recently together with Wim Lammertijn, curator of the Mudel museum (Museum van Deinze and the Leie region) in Deinze. In 2024 a new call was launched for tips, following an exhibition about Dees De Bruyne in Ghent.
Two days after the exhibition, a woman mailed that she knew where ‘the children’s friends’ was. The work had been in her attic for years. She had given it to a confidential adviser afterwards. They gave the curtain to Ertvelt and Lemmertijn at the end of last year.
The Mudel Museum has received the painting on loan. It wants to organize an exhibition around it in September.
