James Ensor writes to his anarchist friend Georges Eekhoud. 1920.

James ENSOR (1860.1949)

Autographed letter signed to the Flemish writer Georges Eekhoud.

One page in quarto. Some foxing.

Ostend. December 16, 1920.

"The sun's gold no longer speaks to the sea..."

A friendly and poetic letter from the Belgian painter to his anarchist friend Georges Eekhoud, congratulating him on his nomination to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature.

__________________________________________

"My dear Eekhoud, At last, some comfort! Your many friends are happy, and now you will swim in happiness. I haven't forgotten our good times by the sea last summer. Alas! The sun's gold no longer speaks to the sea, yet it is still beautiful framed in grey, white, and silver. I am a little unwell and detained here, but I will see you soon, won't I, dear friend? I wish to congratulate you in person, and I love to look my old friends closely in the eyes. Yours devotedly and with all my heart, James Ensor."

__________________________________________

Georges Eekhoud (1854-1927), a Flemish writer and homosexual, was long criticized for his publications and his anarchist stances (shared by Ensor). 

In August 1920, Jules Destrée, Minister of Science and Arts, had just established the statutes of the future Royal Academy of French Language and Literature. The first fourteen members were to be appointed by the King. On Destrée's recommendation, King Albert I ^added Georges Eekhoud's name to the list of appointed members. This move amounted to an official rehabilitation of Eekhoud.