Rik Wouters & Nel: Muse and Manager
Rik Wouters & Nel: Muse and Manager
25.10.25 - 26.04.26
A figure stands between red curtains in a striking red-and-white striped dress. Sunlight streams through the open windows. Her gaze is bright, her cheeks flushed. It is the summer of 1913, and Rik Wouters captures his eternal muse Nel with bold strokes on the canvas. This is the most iconic piece in the artist's oeuvre (1882-1916).
In a special focus exhibition, Museum Hof van Busleyden turns the spotlight on the woman between the curtains - Hélène Duerinckx, otherwise known as Nel, the partner of Rik Wouters. More than model and muse, she became his publicist and manager. In the years after his death, she tirelessly promoted his work, maintaining artistic networks to secure his legacy.
About the Focus Exhibition
In 14 artworks in one room, the museum illustrates the unique bond between Rik and Nel. Through often warm, intimate domestic scenes, visitors get a rare glimpse into their lives together. Rik passed away at just 34 years of age, and Nel would spend the rest of her life, literally, leaving her mark on her husband's artistic legacy.
Centrepiece: The Red Curtains
In the spring of 2025, the Flemish government purchased Rik Wouters’ masterpiece The Red Curtains for close to €1.8 million. The painting was recognised as a Flemish Masterpiece in 2007 and is perhaps the most beloved work in Wouters' oeuvre. Museum Hof van Busleyden now has it on long-term loan, where it takes pride of place in this focus exhibition, a tribute to both the painter and his muse and manager, Nel.
About Rik and Nel
Rik Wouters was born in Mechelen in 1882. His artistic career began at his father's furniture workshop, where he trained as a cabinetmaker. After several years, when his talent for sculpture became clear, he enrolled at the Mechelen Academy of Fine Arts in 1897. He continued evening classes at the Academy even during his military service. In 1904, he met the woman who would change his life: Nel.
They moved to a small house on the edge of the Sonian Forest, where they lived a simple life. During the First World War, Rik was sent to the front while Nel fled through Antwerp to the Netherlands. Rick was taken prisoner and interned at the Amersfoort camp. Though in poor health, he continued to paint.
He died in 1916, just three years after painting the red curtains scene. Nel would go on to champion his legacy tirelessly until her death in the 1970s. Her dedication helped cement Rick Wouters as one of Mechelen's most beloved artists.
