Sauer, Walter

(1889-1927)

   The painter Walter Sauer was born on 12 February 1889 in Brussels, the son of a city official. He studied at the workshop of sculptor Victor Rousseau and acquired a knowledge of Far Eastern art. Concentrating on drawing and painting, he had his first solo exhibition at the Galerie de l'Intérieur in 1916-1917 and exhibited more than 60 drawings at the Cercle Gaulois in 1923, after which he enjoyed considerable success. Sauer's works, such as La dame en noir (The lady in black [1921]) display a detailed graphic quality with precise clear lines. He served as a teacher of decorative art at the Academy in Ixelles in 1925-1926. Sauer succumbed to food poisoning in Algeria on 6 September 1927.