Tribulations of St Anthony

One of Ensor's earliest fantastical paintings, this work recreates the familiar story of St Anthony battling a world of temptations (embodied by the woman at the far left). Ensor described his version of the narrative as one in which "the bizarre prevails" as Hell expels menacing sea creatures and grotesque monsters haphazardly joined together within a colourful, loosely rendered landscape.

Inspired by earlier renditions of the story by Flemish artists Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Ensor brought a fresh interpretation to a familiar subject by combining invented figures with wild brushstrokes and audacious colour choices.

Today's art experts can't praise Ensor's work enough. But it wasn't always that way. He was long misunderstood and sold very little. Only in his forties did Ensor receive recognition. German artists and critics began to notice his artistic innovations around 1900. And in Belgium, too, he gradually came to be recognized as one of the pioneers of modern art. The world's largest and most important James Ensor collection is owned by the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp.