Identity:
Émile Verhaeren was an art critic and leading poet of the Symbolist movement.
Life:
He trained as a lawyer but by 1880 had abandoned his profession for a literary career. He was associated with the Belgian exhibition group, Les XX, defending its ideas through his criticism for L'Art moderne, a journal founded by Edmond Picard (1836-1924). He also wrote for many other journals including La Société nouvelle and L'Art libre. His monograph on James Ensor was published in 1908.
Bibliography:
Derrey-Capon, D., 'Emile (Adolphe Gustave) Verhaeren,' Grove Dictionary of Art Online, ed. L. Macy, http://www.groveart.com (accessed September 2004).