Narcisse Tordoir
° 1954, Mechelen (Belgium )
Lives and works in Antwerp (Belgium)
Biography
Narcisse Tordoir’s visual language can be called swell dynamic, bold and intriguing. For more than three decades he reinvents the act of painting. As an artist he is constantly trying out new possibilities where media and style are mixed. In a flashy way he challenges himself and his audience, both content wise as in his technical approach. His works are full of bravado, simultaneously subtle and in your face. Like no other he weaves romance with harsh reality, history with actuality, moving pictures with static, madness with seriousness. He raises painting to an act, a performance that continues to resonate long after. Tiepolo, the Arab revolution, news and history, gods and fairy tales, war and piece, all components of Tordoir’s imaginary world that he brings to the canvas or paper, with paint of fragile pastels constructing new stories through the eye of the master painter in the true tradition of Flemish greatest.
Narcisse Tordoir represented Belgium at the Venice Biennale in 1988 and he was senior advisor of the Rijksakademie (Amsterdam) till 2015. He exhibited in several museums in Belgium and abroad, and thereby he often invited (and collaborated with) other artists. In 1999 he curates Trouble Spot Painting in collaboration with Luc Tuymans. In 2014 Tordoir showed monumental pastel drawings in his exhibition The Pink Spy at M HKA, Antwerp. Publications include Are we changing the world (Extra City, 2005), The Way of the World (CC Mechelen, 2009) and The Pink Spy (M HKA, 2014).
Curriculum Vitae
- 2018
- Fake Barok, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België, Brussels (solo)
- Narcisse Tordoir & Fendry Ekel, CC Strombeek, Strombeek-Bever
- Kunstvestdagen, different locations, Mechelen
- 2017
- Tiepolo’s Silence, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
- Superdemocratie, Belgische Senaat, Brussels, group exhibition curated by Bart De Baere and Pierre-Olivier Rollin
- 2016
- Narcisse Tordoir, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
- Follow the White Cube, Honold Fine Art, Ubud, Bali
- Regards Partagés (collectie Rudy Joseph), musée Marthe Donas, Ittre
- 2015
- Narcisse Tordoir - De plaats van het tekenen in het scheppingsproces, Museum Plantin Moretus, Antwerp (solo)
- Recente aanwinsten, M HKA, Antwerp
- Works on paper, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp
- Gravel Beat / Sleepwalker, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp (solo)
- Tordoir verkent Tiepolo, Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen (solo)
- 2014
- The Pink Spy, M HKA, Antwerp
- The Pink Spy, Galerie Duan, Paris (solo)
- Capita Selecta, Broelmuseum, Kortrijk
- The Part In The Story Where A Part Becomes A Part of Something Else, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam
- 2013
- About Waves - Refiguratie CC Strombeek, Strombeek-Bever
- 2012
- The Pink Spy, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp (solo)
- Switch, Galerie Dukan Hourdequin, Paris
- Collectie XXII M HKA, Antwerp
- About Waves - Refiguratie CC Strombeek, Strombeek-Bever
- 2011
- Meesterwerken in het MAS, Vijf eeuwen beeld in Antwerpen, Antwerp
- Colorless green ideas sleep furiously, Galerie Dukan Hourdequin, Paris
- Untitled, Galerie Van de Weghe, Antwerp
- 2010
- Square 1, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp
- Tegenlicht, SMAK, Gent
- Ecce Homo Ludens, Musée Régional d’Art Contemporain Languedoc-Rousilllon, Sérignan
- An unpardonable sin, Castillo/Corrales, Paris
- 2009
- The Way of the World, Cultuurcentrum Mechelen
- Picture this!, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle
- Textiles, M HKA, Antwerp
- A Story of the Image: Old & New Masters from Antwerp, National Museum of Singapore
- A Story of the Image: Old & New Masters from Antwerp, Shanghai Art Museum , Shanghai
- 2008
- Confronting the Image, Elements MoCA, Beijing
- Honorons Honoré, De Garage, Mechelen
- Dry and wet paintings, Crown Gallery, Brussels
- The ARC Collection, Office for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam
- 2007
- Kunst als Leben, Kunsthaus Bern, Bern
- Bad Dad, Objectif (retribution), Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp
- Strike a pose, Circuit, Lausanne
- Dry and wet paintings, Crown Gallery, Brussels
- Jubilee, M KHA, Antwerp
- 2006
- Shakalakaboum, Lamot, Mechelen
- Modern People, Crown Gallery, Brussels
- 2005
- Collaborate works, Extra City, Antwerp
- Dear ICC, MuKHA, Antwerp
- de wereld deugt, wij een beetje minder, De Appel, Amsterdam
- 2004
- Working Ethics, Krinzinger Projecte, Wien
- Artists Favourites, ICA , London
- 2003
- Kunstenaars in beweging, De Markten, Brussels
- De Collectie, MuKHA, Antwerp
- Bogodia, Centre Soleil d’Afrique, 5ième Rencontres de Bamako Biennale
- Tears of the skull, De Watertoren, Vlissingen
- 2002
- 9 Points of view, Ronse
- Legaat R.De ROECK-Vos, Factor 44, Antwerp
- 2001
- Editions, Stella Lohaus Gallery, Antwerp
- CLICK, Centre Soleil d’Afrique, 4ième Rencontres de Bamako Biennale
- 2000
- The Dancant, Galerie Nadia Vilenne, Luik
- Galerie Milco Onrust, Amsterdam
- Echap, Centre Soleil d’Afrique, Bamako
- 1999
- Trouble spot: Painting MUKHA, Antwerp
- 1997
- N.T.Z.T., Centraal Museum, Utrecht
- 1998
- Vive la Peinture, l’Aquarium, Galerie d’Ecole, Valenciennes
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam
- François Curlet, Michel François, Han Schuil, Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Fortlaan 17, Gent
- 1995
- Tim Ayers, Narcisse Tordoir, Alan Uglow, Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam
- 1994
- Link, The Contemporary Art Company, Den Haag
- (group) Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam
- 1993
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Annette De Keyser, Antwerp
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam
- Kunst in België na 1980, Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Brussels
- 1992
- Woord en Beeld in de Belgische Kunst, Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Brussels
- 1991
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Joost Declerq, Gent
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam
- Luc Deleu, Guy Rombouts-Monika Droste, Narcisse Tordoir, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo
- 1990
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Joost Declerq, Knokke
- (group), Ponton, Temse
- (group), Beelden Buiten, Tielt
- Belgique, une nouvelle génération, FRAC du Pays de la Loire, Clisson
- Beeldenstorm 1990, M HKA, Antwerp
- 1989
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Joost Declerq, Gent
- Narcisse Tordoir, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin
- (group), Jack Tilton Gallery , New York
- 1988
- XLIII BIENNALE–DI–VENEZIA, Belgian Pavillion, Venice
- Narcisse Tordoir, Art & Project, Amsterdam
- Narcisse Tordoir, Gallery Laure Gennilard, London
- Gran Pavese, The Flag Project, M HKA, Antwerp
- De Verzameling/The Collection, M HKA, Antwerp
- 1987
- Narcisse Tordoir, 121 Art Gallery , Antwerp
- Narcisse Tordoir, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels
- (group), Studio Massimi, Roma
- Déconstruction, Hallen van Schaarbeek, Brussels
- 1986
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie De Lege Ruimte, Brugge
- 6 Young Flemish Artists, Art Society of the International Monetary Fund, Washington
- Abstraction ‘86’, 121 Art Gallery, Antwerp
- Een Keuze, KunstRAI, Amsterdam
- Initiatief 86, Sint-Pietersabdij, Gent
- Portraits de scène, l’Ile de Phoques, Casa Frollo, Venezia
- Portraits de scène, Musée d’Ansembourg, Liège
- 1985
- Narcisse Tordoir, Galerie Plus-Kern, Brussels Narcisse Tordoir’, Galerie ‘t Venster, Rotterdam
- Beelden in de Plancius, Art & Project, Amsterdam
- 1984
- Narcisse Tordoir, Vereniging voor het Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Gent
- Le Musée de Voyag’, Espace 251 Nord, Liège
- 1983
- Narcisse Tordoir, Art & Project, Amsterdam
- Narcisse Tordoir, 121 Art Gallery , Antwerp
- Jonge Kunstenaars uit het Antwerpse, Museum Dhont-Dhaenens, Deurle
- 1982
- Het picturaal verlangen/Le désir pictural, Galerie Isy Brachot, Brussels
- De magie van het beeld/La magie de l’image, Vereniging voor tentoonstellingen van het Paleis voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels
- 1981
- Narcisse Tordoir, 121 Art Gallery , Antwerp
- Picturaal 1, Recente schilderkunst in Vlaanderen, ICC, Antwerp
- 1980
- Narcisse Tordoir, Associates, Enschede
- A week of Informations about Selforganisations, Kleiner Ausstellungsraum, Hamburg
- 1979
- The Many Faces of Modern Art, Old House, Brentwood
- 1978
- Today’s Place, The Registry Gallery, San Francisco
- 1977
- Performance Art, Galerie New Reform, Aalst
- Performance Art, R.H.O.K., Brussels
- Performance Art, Stadsarchief, Kassel