Michel Stoffel was born into a farming family in Bissen, a village about 20 kilometres from Luxembourg City. In 1913, he left his native village and moved to Liège, Belgium, with his mother. There, he attended secondary school. He returned to Luxembourg in 1919. Stoffel graduated from the École industrielle et commerciale in Luxembourg (today the Lycée des Garçons de Luxembourg), where he had lessons with the Luxembourg artists Joseph-Germain Strock and André Thyes. At the same time, he pursued drawing lessons by distance at the Parisian École Universelle de Dessin. Between 1930 and 1933, he spent his summer holidays studying art at the Weimar Academy of Fine Arts. There, he focused on learning the various techniques of engraving from his teachers Walther Klemm (1883-1957), a German painter, engraver and illustrator, and Alexander Olbricht (1876-1942), another German painter and engraver. From 1933 to 1934, he continued his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels.

From 1922 to 1932, he worked as an insurance broker for several agencies in Luxembourg, Brussels and Antwerp. In 1933, he founded Terra, his own insurance company in Luxembourg, which he ran until 1961, with interruption during the Second World War.

In 1925, Stoffel married and moved to Brussels, where in 1936, his son was born. Between 1932 and 1940, he visited several places: Venice, the South of Italy, Portugal, the Maghreb countries, Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, France and Belgium, among others.

As an artist, Stoffel created drawings, paintings, engravings and mosaics. Gradually, his artistic style evolved from figuration to abstraction.

At the beginning of his career, he stood out for his talent in drawing and engraving. He discovered his artistic vocation for drawing during his time at secondary school. Following his numerous journeys between 1932 and 1940, he created gouache and oil paintings from the sketches he had made while travelling. From 1940 to 1949, his style became expressionist. During the Second World War, Stoffel was banned from painting and exhibiting his works, as his art was considered 'degenerate' by the German occupiers. During the war years, his painting experienced a first creative peak. At that time, his style was characterised by a sparing use of materials and a limited selection of colours and lines. This was due to the fact that buying artistic material was banned by the occupiers. In 1942, the painter took up current themes, which he represented with dense and heavy brush strokes that enclosed the forms. The painting Passive Resistance (1942) is an example of this phase. It refers to the general strike organised in Luxembourg on 31 August 1942 in order to protest against the compulsory military service imposed by the occupiers. From 1949 to 1953, Stoffel carried out non-figurative studies, which finally led him to abstraction. In 1951, he began to reduce the lines and later virtually abolished them. He finally abandoned the form itself, conceiving a painting as a purely flat surface, divided into a few compartments and alluding to geometry. From 1953 onwards, he produced purely abstract compositions without any reference to perceived reality, both in terms of title and form (e. g. in Composition from 1953). Around 1955, the form reappeared in his works. While still geometric, it soon ceased to be flat. The form then began to evolve in space by taking on curved shapes (e. g. in Composition E10/58 from 1958). In his theoretical texts, the artist described this development towards abstraction. His works’ evolution towards abstraction can be perceived in successive stages. Between 1954 and 1958, Stoffel's artistic production slowed down considerably. In this period, the artist concentrated more on his reflections on art within the group Les Iconomaques, founded in 1954. The name of this artist group is composed of the Greek words 'eikon' (image) and 'machomai' (to fight), and refers to an organisation of artists who fought for abstraction.

Stoffel participated in several avant-garde exhibitions in Luxembourg and abroad. He first began to exhibit his graphic work. In 1946, the artist staged the first exhibition of his own works at the Bradtké gallery in the capital of Luxembourg. From 1933 to 1961, he showcased his work at the annual exhibition of the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg (CAL). In 1935, he represented Luxembourg at the Universal and International Exhibition in Brussels. Together with the Luxembourg artists Will Dahlem, Henri Dillenburg, François Gillen, Emile Kirscht, Joseph Probst and Wenzel Profant he participated in the two exhibitions of the Iconomaques in 1954 and 1959. Abroad, he took part in the important International Exhibition of Modern Art organised by UNESCO at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris in 1946. In 1956, he represented Luxembourg at the 4^th São Paulo Art Biennial.

He maintained contact with important personalities in the art world of the time, such as the Belgian critic and art historian Paul Fierens (1895-1957) and the Luxembourg critic and art historian Joseph-Émile Muller.

Stoffel's works can be found in numerous national collections (e. g. Musée national d'histoire et d'art (MNHA), Les 2 Musées de la Ville de Luxembourg, Maison du Grand-Duc, Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat (BCEE)) as well as international collections (e. g. French State collections, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège - La Boverie). In 1949, the Musées de l’État bought his painting The Magician and in 1962, the State commissioned Stoffel to create two mosaics for the new high school Athénée de Luxembourg.

From 1939 to 1949, Stoffel was president of the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg (CAL). In this capacity, he was involved in organising the retrospective of the artist Jean-Baptiste Fresez (entitled Fresez paysagiste) in 1936 and the Exhibition of Contemporary Belgian Art in 1938. In 1939, he convinced the government of Luxembourg of the importance to participate in the World's Fair in New York (1939-1940), and later became responsible for organising Luxembourg’s contribution. Since 1944, he was a member of the Luxembourg Lodge. In 1952, he initiated and founded the Chambre syndicale des arts et lettres (Trade Union Chamber of Arts and Literature) in Luxembourg. In addition, he co-founded the Salon des Iconomaques (exhibition of the Iconomaques) in 1954. Since 1962, he was an appointed full member of the arts and literature section of the Institut Grand-Ducal.

Several theoretical writings document his commitment to the defence of contemporary art. Accordingly, he published essays on that subject, including La Réforme de la peinture française (1944) and Le Prestige de la matière dans l'art contemporain (1947), as well as articles in Les Cahiers luxembourgeois, Formes nouvelles, Les Pages de la SELF, Arts et Lettres and in the catalogues of the CAL exhibitions.

In 1936, Stoffel received the Grand Duke Adolphe Prize and in 1956, the honorary award at the 4^th São Paulo Art Biennial. During his lifetime, he was awarded several honorific orders: The Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne (Knight, Luxembourg), the Ordre de Léopold (Knight, Belgium), the Ordre de la Couronne (Knight, Belgium), and the Ordre de Léopold II (Knight, Belgium).

As early as 1935, the Dutch poet and art critic Jan Greshoff pointed out Stoffel’s talent for drawing. In 1946, the art historian Paul Fierens noted in his preface to the catalogue for Stoffel's first monographic exhibition at the Bradtké gallery, that the five years of war, suffering and withdrawal had led the artist to find his own style (Stoffel). The exhibiting of his large expressionist paintings, created between 1941 and 1946, earned him national and international recognition. According to Fierens, Stoffel's expressionist period was not far from the powerful populism of the Belgian artist Constant Permeke (Bénézit 381). Both artists developed the same kind of expressive affinity displayed in their dark and concise style (Bénézit 381). According to the art critic and curator Joseph-Emile Muller, Stoffel was attentive to the international development of modern art and, around 1950, identified abstraction as the new language of his time. In 1963, Muller pointed out that Stoffel's art had been one of the most debated in Luxembourg in the previous years, as it was misunderstood by a large part of the public. However, in 1954, Stoffel explained that the Iconomaques were not merely destroyers, but on the contrary, that their purpose was to create something constructive ("Michel Stoffel spricht über die 'Iconomaques'"; Muller 62). In 1971, eight years after the artist's death, Raymond Weiland dedicated a thesis to Stoffel's graphic and pictorial work. On the one hand, the researcher linked it to the gestural and informal art practised from 1950 onwards by the painters of the CoBrA group, including Pierre Alechinsky (*1927) and to Paul Klee as well as Wassily Kandinsky from Weimar on the other hand (Weiland 5; Thill 50). In 1993, the literary critic Joseph Paul Schneider provided new insights into the personality of the artist and his creative process. Indeed, in an interview with Stoffel’s son, the latter told him that his father used to spend days looking at his drawings, trying - as the painter said himself - "to see something in them" (Schneider). This statement confirms the artist's words from 1945: "For me, art is a means of approaching the hidden truth, of entering into the mystery of Life" (Stoffel). Moreover, at the large retrospective dedicated to the artist at the MNAHA in 2003, art historian Edmond Thill emphasised the important role that Stoffel played in the history of Luxembourg art. In fact, he considered Stoffel one of the first, if not the first, to turn to non-figurative art (42). According to Thill, it was mainly thanks to Stoffel that abstraction made its triumphant breakthrough in Luxembourg (42). Consequently, the artist also made an effective and decisive contribution to the acceptance of modern and contemporary art in the Grand Duchy (Thill 69).

Nowadays, Stoffel is considered to be the rightful founder of abstract painting in Luxembourg. Notably, other artists before him, such as Jean Schaack and Théo Kerg, had already made attempts at abstraction between 1920 and 1930. In 1948, some artists of the Nouvelle Equipe (an association of the three painters, namely Joseph Probst, François Gillen and Victor Jungblut and sculptor Lucien Wercollier) did so too and organised two according exhibitions in 1948 and 1950. Yet, it was above all Stoffel who helped modern art to gain recognition in Luxembourg. Several of his theoretical writings testify his commitment to defending contemporary art. Furthermore, there is no doubt that Stoffel kept up with new developments. He knew how to constantly reinvent his artistic work. Although, he later became somewhat forgotten in art history, Stoffel was recognised by contemporary art critics and the museum world for orienting the Luxembourg art scene towards innovation from abroad (based on the acquisitions of his artworks during his lifetime). Indeed, in the 1950s and 1960s, first geometric and then lyrical abstraction dominated modern art in Europe.

Works cited

Bénézit, Emmanuel. "Michel Stoffel." Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les pays par un groupe d'écrivains spécialistes français et étrangers. Paris: Librairie Gründ, 2006, vol.13, 381. Print. 

Koltz, Jean Luc, and Musée national d'histoire et d'art. 150 Ans d'art luxembourgeois au Musée national d'histoire et d'art : peinture et sculpture depuis 1839 : exposition au Musée national d'histoire et d'art Luxembourg du 17 novembre au 31 décembre 1989. 3rd ed. Luxembourg: Ministère d'Etat, 2005. Print.

Muller, Joseph-Émile, Joseph Funck, and Michel Stoffel. Michel Stoffel. Luxembourg: Section des Arts et des Lettres de l'Institut Grand-ducal, 1971. Print.

Schneider, Joseph Paul, et al. "À la rencontre de Michel Stoffel (1903-1963). Un entretien de Joseph Paul Schneider avec le Dr Gaston Stoffel (fils du peintre)." Michel Stoffel: exposition à la Galerie Schweitzer Luxembourg du 11 novembre au 7 décembre 1993. Luxembourg: Galerie Schweitzer, 1993. Brochure.

Stoffel, Michel. "Textes inédits de Michel Stoffel. Le Peintre, le Critique et le Collectionneur – Je parle de et à moi-même." vers 1945. Print.

Stoffel, Michel. La Réforme de la Peinture Française. Paris: G. Blanchong & Cie, 1945. Print.

Stoffel, Michel, and Paul Fierens. Michel Stoffel : Du 23 février au 9 mars 1946 : Galerie Charles Bradtké, Luxembourg : Galerie Charles Bradtké, 1946. Print.

Stoffel, Michel. Le Prestige de la Matière dans l'art Contemporain : Essai de Synthèse. Luxembourg: P. Linden, 1947. Print.

Thill, Edmond, et al. Rétrospective Michel Stoffel 1903 - 1963: Exposition organisée au Musée national d'histoire et d'art, Luxembourg du 6 décembre 2003 au 11 janvier 2004. Luxembourg: MNHA, 2003. Print.

Weiland, Raymond. Michel Stoffel 1903-1963. L'oeuvre graphique et picturale. 1971. Thesis.

"Michel Stoffel spricht über die ‚Iconomaques‘.“ Tageblatt 29.06.1954: unknown. Print.