The catalogue presents a comprehensive survey of James Ensor's artistic career through paintings, drawings, prints and archival material assembled for the exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich and the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen in 1983. Scholarly essays examine Ensor's early interiors, seascapes, still lifes, self-portraits and his celebrated compositions populated by masks, skeletons and carnival figures. Particular attention is given to his innovative use of colour, light and expressive brushwork, his relationship with the avant-garde movements of his time and his lasting influence on twentieth-century European art. Detailed catalogue entries provide provenance, exhibition history and bibliographical references for each exhibited work.