Ferdinand Schirren

Ferdinand Schirren (8 November 1872, Antwerp - 19 February 1944, Brussels) was a Belgian painter, watercolorist and sculptor of Jewish ancestry.

He was the sixth child and first son born to Josephe Schirren, a copper worker, and his wife Anna née Mendelsohn.

After graduating, he was employed in the studios of Jef Lambeaux, an early member of Les XX, a progressive artists' co-operative.

[1] In 1898, he became one of the first members of Labeur [fr], an art association created by the painters Auguste Oleffe and Louis Thevenet.

At the suggestion of his family doctor, he concentrated on drawing and painting, but continued to create the occasional sculpture.

Giroux offered him an exclusive contract but, despite having financial problems, he declined as he felt it would limit his artistic freedom.