In 2009 this painting was honored as laureate of the art contest ‘Grote Prijs Alfons Blomme’. The Jury praised the bold style and compaired it to ‘a contemporary Ensor’. Too much honor, if you ask me. Good painting though.
Some years later, I went to an exhibition at Cypress Gallery in which Els Lesage, a friend of mine at that time, exhibited along with Nick Andrews and Rinus Vandevelde. Funny thing was: Nick Andrews had a painting based on the same newspaper photo with the title ‘Banker’s Banquet’. That’s what you get when you use public pictures. It was a good painting, but frankly my title was better.
Five years later I married the friend. That was the best prize ever.

50 x 70 cm, 2009
now in private collection