Paul-Gustave van Hecke

Paul-Gustave van Hecke (27 December 1887, Ghent - 23 February 1967, Ixelles) was a Belgian journalist, author, art collector and promoter, couturier, and organizer of film festivals.

By 1909, this had led to the foundation of the Flemish Association for Theater and Performing Arts, with Jan Oscar De Gruyter [nl] as its Artistic Director and Van Hecke as its Secretary.

As a result, he abandoned Nieuw Leven in favor of the new cosmopolitan magazine De Boomgaard (The Orchard), where he wanted to re-establish the tradition of the pioneering Van Nu en Straks (Of Now and Later).

He then became interested in pursuing a journalistic career and moved to Antwerp to work on the De Nieuwe Gazet and the French-language magazine, La Métropole.

He created another literary magazine in 1913, De Tijd (The Times) but, due to a combination of his losing interest and the beginning of World War I, it was short-lived.

Shortly after the war began, he moved to Brussels, became involved in the Flemish Movement, and worked as a reporter for De Vlaamsche Post, a paper with German financial connections.

This lasted only a short time when, to the dismay of his friends, he became Director of a small French theater called "La Bonbonnière".

It was a richly illustrated magazine that catered to popular tastes and current styles; although it included works by such noted artists as James Ensor, Wassily Kandinsky, Giorgio de Chirico and Max Ernst, as well as Van Hecke's friends.

At this time, he also developed an interest in Surrealism, which led him to provide support for René Magritte, Paul Delvaux and, years later, Marcel Mariën.

The 1930s depression brought an end to many of these enterprises and he was forced to sell off his private collection to save Le Couturier Norine.

In 1943, he joined with Angèle Manteau to set up and manage the French language division of her publishing house, Éditions Lumière.