Marcel Mariën (29 April 1920 – 19 September 1993) was a Belgian surrealist (later Situationist), poet, essayist, photographer, collagist, and filmmaker.

Mariën was a pivotal member of the Belgian wing of the Surrealist movement. In addition to his work as a surrealist artist and photographer, he was also known as a publisher, bookseller, sailor, journalist in China and an elaborate Surrealist prankster.

Early life

thumb|right|220px|Signature of Marcel Mariën

Marcel Mariën was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1920.

Mariën enlisted in the Belgian Army in Antwerp in January 1939 and served for seventeen months during World War II. During the German invasion of Belgium, he looked after the casualties at the hospital of Antwerp before being evacuated, bringing along two large bags of books which he refused to leave behind. Upon reaching Dunkirk, he was taken captive and held as a prisoner of war in Görlitz for nine months. A combination of sexual and religious imagery, it caused a scandal in Belgium and was banned in France. Even with the support of the Kinsey Institute, it proved impossible to have the film shown in the United States.

Writer, publisher and essayist

Although Marien worked as an artist across many media, some of the most notable achievements throughout his career were as a chronicler of the Belgian Surrealists' activities and a publisher of their writings. He contributed to various publications, including London Bulletin, Cahiers d'art, and View.

In 1943, Marien published the very first monograph on Magritte. In 1954 he founded the magazine, Les Lèvres Nues, In 1962, the joke was on Magritte when Mariën and Leo Dohmen produced a tract, "La Grande Baisse", to coincide with a major retrospective of Magritte's work in Knokke. Presented as written by Magritte himself, it announced drastic discounts on the artist's major paintings and offered the chance to order them in different sizes.

Even leading Surrealists, amongst them André Breton, failed to grasp the joke and praised Magritte for this undertaking. Magritte was furious when he found out and the 25-year friendship between Magritte and Mariën was over.

International Prize for Human Stupidity

In 1955 Mariën established the International Prize for Human Stupidity.

References

  • Diemar/Noble Photography – London Photography Retrospective, July 2009
  • Situationist reference
  • Marcel Mariën: Ne faites pas attention à la photographie
  • Text Marcel Mariën – France Lejeune Fine Art
  • Galerie Pascal Polar: Marcel Mariën
  • (statement)
  • Mariën ou la subversion poétique
  • The unfindable