Biography

Michel Smekens was born in 1963, on March 6th, in Ottignies in Belgium. He has been drawing for many years. From primary school to the university, he illustred his exercise books and syllabi with his drawings.

He creates a very personal and significant art and evolves with the times. During five periods, he passed from a black expressionistic drawing in " blind " works by gradually mixing the color when it became necessary to his artistic vision.

After studies in Political sciences at the Catholic University of Leuven (UCL) to Louvain-la-Neuve and in International law at the University Libre of Bruxelles (ULB) from 1982 till 1988 then in Marketing from 1995 till 1998 to the Groep T- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) to Leuven, he studied at the School of Fine Arts to Leuven in Kunstacademie – De Slac from 1998 till 2008 wich he combined with a post-graduat in art at Wisper from 2006 through 2007.

In 2005, he organized his first group exhibition « Isabelle Poseert ? » and since 2008 his artwork « Ik wil, je veux » has been displayed to the Palace of Fine Arts of Bruxelles from May through June during the first Collection Canvas. That year he also began his first gallery exhibition in gallery from June, 2008, Création 29, Vlaamse Kaai to Antwerpen in Belgium.

Since August 2015, he has lived and worked in France and today he already has totaled more than 50 exhibitions in France, in Belgium, in Italy, in Spain and in the Netherlands.

He has always developed a contemporary and expressionist art through all the techniques of fine art drawing and color as a self-taught artist.

Exhibitions already realized :

Exhibition "Isabelle poseert ?" Zolder, Romaanse Poort, Leuven, Belgium, may 20th to 29th, 2005
Exhibition "Centrale Werkplaatsen", Leuven, Belgium, may, 2006
Exhibition "E-atelier", SDworx, Antwerpen, Belgium, may 10th to 24th, 2007
Exhibition "Asha", Leuven, Belgium, october 5th to 25th, 2007
Exhibition "BOZART EXPO", Canvascollectie, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, Belgium,
may 23th – june 22nd, 2008
Exhibition, Resident artist to "Galerie Création", Vlaamsekai 8, Antwerpen, Belgium,
may 2008 -december 2009.
Exhibition "MIX 05/2008", Op-Weule, Woluwe, Belgium, may 30th – june 22nd, 2008
Exhibition "4MEN 4 ELE-MEN-TS", Tweebronnen, Leuven, Belgium, april 30th, 2009 – may 20th, 2009
Exhibition "Il était une fois… un merveilleux pays", La ferme du Prince, Jurbize, Belgium,
october 16th to 30th, 2009
Exhibition "Happy New Art", 4000 Liège, Belgium, december 26th to 30th, 2009
Exhibition "Art and more", solo exhibition, 3840 Borgloon, Belgium, february 27th – march 21st, 2010
Exhibition "Culture pour tous", 4851 Gemmenich, Belgium, october 16th & 17th, 2010
Solo exhibition "Michel Smekens", Week-end du Livre, Redu, Libin, Belgium, may 28th & 29th, 2011
Exhibition "Les Corbenois ont du talent !", Salle de la Prairie, Saint-Germain, may 5th & 6th, 2016
du Corbéis, France
Solo Exhibition "IMAGinE revue d’Art à Saint-Germain du Corbéis", june 18th, 2016, Salle
les Tilleuls, Saint-Germain du Corbéis, France
Exhibition "De têtes en caps", Saint-Germain du Corbéis, France, september 3rd to 11th, 2016.
Exhibition "Festi’Arts", Moliets et Maâ, France, in the municipality of Azur, Espace François Mitterrand, october 22nd & 23th, 2016
Exhibition "De caps en couleurs", Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis, France, november 26th & 27th, 2016
Solo exhibition "Hoo"Médiathèque d’Alençon, France, january 6th to 21st, 2017.
Solo exhibition "M comme…", 9 rue des Bruyères, 61000 Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis, France,
february 4th & 5th, 2017
Solo exhibition "Le noir vous va si bien" dans Espace d’exposition du Syndicat d’Initiative de la ville de Mamers et du Saosnois, Mamers, France, March 4th - april 4th, 2017
Solo exhibition "Histoire d’eau", Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis, France, April 14th to 17th, 2017
Solo exhibition "Lib’Art", Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis, France, June 2nd to 6th, 2017
Exhibition "Arts Vagabonds", Saint-Félix-en-Lauragais, solo exhibition in the chapelle du Domaine d’En Pastré, Roumens, France, september 8th to 10th, 2017.
Exhibition Estanqu’Arts, Moliets-et-Maâ, France, october 28th & 29th, 2017.
Solo exhibition "De couleurs en partages", march 31st - may 2nd, 2018 in l’annexe and in Café Littéraire
"La Reduiste", to Redu (6890 Libin), Belgium
Exhibition "Art Graulhet 2018" in galerie éphémère, Graulhet, France, july 7th to 22nd, 2018
Exhibition "Débal’Art", july 22nd, 2018, Graulhet, France.
Exhibition "Forum des Arts et de la Culture 2018 de Sélestat", Sélestat, France, august 19th, 2018.
Exhibition "Forum Européen des Arts et des Cultures 2018 de Sélestat", 1 Quai de l'Ill, galerie des Tanzmatten, 67600 Sélestat, France, august 24th to 26th, 2018.
Exhibition during the "9ème Parcours d'Artistes de Belœil" at Saint Vincent school, Beloeil, Belgium on the Saturday and Sunday september 8th & 9th, 2018.
Exhibition during the Artists Course of the "53èmes Fêtes de la Saint-Martin de Tourinnes-la-Grosse", Nodebais, Belgium, November 4th to 25th, 2018
Solo exhibition "Art e(s)t sens" in Café Littéraire "Casanova Caffé", Toulouse, France, March 15th - April 19th, 2019. During the exhibition, Michel spent monday, april 15th, 2019 his public performance at the World Day of Art IAA.
Exhibition at "Art Pluriel Rive Droite gallery", Saint-Etienne, France, September 1st to 19th, 2020.
Exhibition at Sonia Monti gallery, Paris, France, October 5th, 2020 - March 25th, 2021.
Exhibition "Phìlo-Poèm", gallery M.A.D.S., Milan, Italy, May 21st to 31st, 2021.
Solo exhibition at the 19th edition of "L'Art s'invite à Magrie", Magrie in the region of Carcassone, France, October 1st to 3rd, 2021.
Exhibition "Si deux souris me pelotent, je suis fait comme un rat" of the association Loi 1901 Duo d'art on the occasion of the centenary of Brassens organized by the agglopôle of Sète city, Bateau Le Roquerols, Sète, France, October 5th to 13th, 2021
Exhibition at the XIIIth Florence Biennale at the Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy, October 23th to 31st, 2021
Exhibition "Pretty perv", M.A.D.S. Gallery, Milan, Italy and Fuerteventura, Spain, The Canary Islands, September 28th - october 4th, 2022.
Exhibition during the 4th Barcelona Biennale "International Prize Barcelona", MEAM of Barcelona (European Museum of Modern Art), Gomis Palace, 08003 Barcelona, Spain, November 18th to 20th, 2022.
Exhibition during the 10th edition of Art Fusion "Rêves d'artistes", Palais des Congrès, Perpignan, France, February 13th to 22th, 2023
Solo exhibition "De scènes en ville", Le Theil-sur-Huisne - Val-au-Perche, France, June 26th - July 2nd, 2023
Exhibition during the Artists Course of the "57èmes Fêtes de la Saint-Martin de Tourinnes-la-Grosse", 1st Wing Historical Center, Beauvechain, Belgium, November 5th to 26th, 2023
Exhibition during the 11th edition of Art Fusion "Rêves d'artistes", Palais des Congrès, Perpignan, France, February 5th to 14th, 2024
Solo exhibition "(H)Ors d'œuvres" at Ariane H., Nodebais, Belgium, June 1st, 2nd, 8th & 9th, 2024
Solo exhibition "Hé Mans cité", L'Ephémère Gallery, Le Mans, France, July 2nd to 28th, 2024
Exhibition "Whispers of the Beyond: A Celebration of Life", Laura Notari Art & Design Studio/Gallery, Hilversum, The Netherlands, from October 26th - November 7th, 2024
Solo exhibition "De scènes en ville II", Le Theil-sur-Huisne - Val-au-Perche, France, November 18th - December 1st, 2024
Solo exhibition "Thaumaturge", Ephemeral gallery, Alençon, France, March 1st to 30th, 2025
Exhibition "Fashionist'ART", Centre Athena in Dour, Belgium, on September 13th
Exhibition during the Alsace Biennale 2025 "Le bonheur et la lumière", Riquewihr, France, from September 20th to 21st, 2025