The Belgian artist James Ensor, who was born in Ostend in 1860 and died there in 1949, was known to arrange skeletons in his studio—models for his paintings. “Reason and nature are the enemy of the artist,” he once wrote. Ensor’s colorful yet enigmatic scenes are widely viewed as forerunners of Expressionism and Surrealism. But the masks, puppetry, and carnivals featured in his still lifes created many enemies. In 1888, Ensor painted his magnum opus, The Entry of Christ into Brussels, in which masked characters—members of his family and ghoulish public figures—are arranged in a dehumanized mob. Ensor’s critics responded with a “viciousness beyond all known limits.” This exhibition celebrates the artist, who died 75 years ago. —Elena Clavarino