Who is Michael Borremans?
BELGIUM has produced several well-known artists over the years including René Magritte, James Ensor, Constantin Meunier, and Panamarenko.
Michaël Borremans is also among those high-profile names, and now many want to know more about him.
Who is Michael Borremans?
Borremans is a painter and filmmaker from Geraardsbergen, Belgium.
The 59-year-old currently resides in Ghent, where he works on his unique painting technique that combines 18th-century art with the styles of Édouard Manet and Degas.
Over the years, Borremans has also named Spanish court painter Diego Velázquez as one of his many influences.
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Prior to his career, Borremans attended LUCA School of Arts in Schaerbeek, Belgium.
His work can be found in several museums across the United States, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Why is Michael Borremans trending?
Over the years, Borremans has stayed out of the spotlight but he began trending in November 2022 thanks to a Balenciaga ad.
The ad featured a model sitting at a desk in a city with papers and artwork on a messy desk.
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To most, the ad seemed normal, however, after one eagle-eyed sleuth zoomed in on the picture, they discovered some controversial book choices on the desk.
Among the books that were featured included one that showed a child covered in blood, which is believed to be one from Borremans' The Badger's Song series, according to Meaww.
Several social media users later slammed Balenciaga for their decision to use the books.
“I just read the descriptions of two different books by this guy, and it is some more dark, sick, child-related stuff. One painting of his has children covered only in blood with a severed hand. There are some more disturbing images by him," one user wrote on Twitter.
“This is not an accident,” another added.
“SICK!” a third proclaimed.
The campaign also had another questionable ad that featured pictures of children with sexualized teddy bears.
As a result of that backlash, the company released an apology and pulled the ads.
"We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused," the company said, via ABC News.
"Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms."
Is Michael Borremans married?
When Borremans is not in the studio, he can often be found at home with his family.
While details on his love life are unclear, he is the father of Xenia Borremans.
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Xenia ultimately went in a different direction than her father when it comes to art and became an actress.
She is known for her roles in De Pretshow (2010), De Vijver (2014), and Déjà Vu (2021).