Permeke, Constant (1886–1952)

Belgian painter and sculptor. One of the leading Belgian expressionists, he employed stark, basic forms and sombre, earthy colours in his scenes of peasant and working-class life. The Harvest 1927 (Tate Gallery, London) is typical.

He studied art in the academies of Bruges and Ghent, though his first important works were produced in England, where he stayed for a while during World War I after being wounded during service in the Belgian army. Works such as La Visite de l'étranger and Les Fiancés are in the Musées Royaux, Brussels. His bronze sculpture Female Head is in the Museum of Modern Art, Edinburgh.