Fernand Scribe
Belgian, 1851-1913
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Fernand Scribe was a Belgian painter, art collector and patron.
Scribe came from a wealthy family of Ghent industrialists. He earned an engineering degree but was never really active in industry.
His entire life was devoted to the visual arts. He was a student at the Academy of Ghent (with the status of amateur dilettante) (1873-1875) and then a private pupil at the studios of Jean-François Portaels and Alfred Cluysenaer in Brussels (1875-1876 and 1876-1878, respectively). He completed a limited period of study at the Académie Julian in Paris (1881-1882). Scribe painted mainly landscapes and townscapes as well as some portraits. He found his themes in Ghent, in Flemish cities and on his many travels, including North Africa.
He was a member of the “Kunstgenootschap” in Ghent and -after its merger with the “Société Littéraire de Gand,” of the “Cercle Artistique et Littéraire.” There he became a member of the board of directors.
He had a key role in the organization of the Ghent Salons starting in 1883. Tirelessly, he motivated domestic and foreign artists to participate and thus ensure the success of the Salon.
Scribe was the initiator for the foundation of the circle of friends of the Ghent museum, the “Société des Amis du Musée de Gand” (1897). Meanwhile, he accumulated a large collection of ancient and contemporary art. By bequest, many works from his collection ended up in the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Decorative Arts (later the Design Museum Ghent) of Ghent.
Scribe was buried in the Westerbegraafplaats, his mausoleum decorated with a life-size bronze figure.
