Shadows and Light: Symbolist Art in Belgium; Works from the Hearn Family Trust

In the Daley Family and Monan Galleries | September 8–December 6, 2026

Showcasing the most important collection of Belgian symbolist art in private hands—assembled by Charles Hack over more than four decades—the exhibition features 150 major works by Belgian and other European artists in their orbit. Shadows and Light encompasses many dualities: the visible contrast of shadows and light suggests a world of dreams and stark realism, of modernism and tradition, of music and silence, and of mystery and revelation. This art is a counterpart and counterpoint to the sun-drenched landscapes of contemporary neo-impressionism, a rival presence in Belgium.

New research illuminates the complex world of Belgian artists at the vanguard of the international symbolist movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—a pivotal moment in the development of modern art. Composed of nine “movements,” a visual symphony unfolds in the galleries as artists engage with vital issues of modern life, including questions of faith, social justice, historical identity, and psychological analysis. Building on the historic tradition of Belgian and Flemish art, the exhibition demonstrates how these artists’ works are innovative in style and personal vision, significantly expanding the language of art. 

Represented are Belgian artists Cécile Cauterman, William Degouve de Nuncques, Léon Frederic, Fernand Khnopff, George Le Brun, Xavier Mellery, Constantin Meunier, George Minne, Armand Rassenfosse, and Léon Spilliaert. With forty-six paintings by Spilliaert, the exhibition seeks to introduce North American audiences to one of Belgium’s most enigmatic and celebrated artists. Paintings by Gustave Moreau, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, František Kupka, and Koloman Moser, as well as works from the McMullen Museum’s collection, elucidate the rich context of international symbolist art, in which Belgians played a leading role.

Shadows and Light is accompanied by a catalogue, edited by Jeffery Howe, with contributions from American and Belgian scholars Anne Adriaens-Pannier, Claude Cernuschi, Edouard Derom, Alison Hokanson, Howe, and Oliver Wunsch, providing contextual background to the time period and the Belgian avant-garde and offer fresh examinations of Fernand Khnopff, George Minne, and Léon Spilliaert. 

Organized by the McMullen Museum, the exhibition has been curated by Jeffery Howe. Shadows and Light is underwritten by Boston College with major support from the Patrons of the McMullen Museum and Mary Ann ’67 and Vincent Q. Giffuni ’65, P’94.