A life shaped by wood and canvas

Joseph François De Coene lived his days in Courtrai, Belgium, moving between the demands of a growing business and the quiet focus of a painter. He was born into a family where craft was a daily reality; his father, Adolphe, worked as an upholsterer, while his mother, Coralie Tavernier, was a painter from Ghent. When his father passed away when Joseph was only thirteen, the boy left his studies behind to help his mother maintain her workshop. This early immersion in manual labor and artistic practice stayed with him.

In 1893, he traveled to Brussels to apprentice at the firm Snyers-Rank et Cie. It was here, during evening classes at the Academy, that he met the architect Jean-Baptiste Dewin. These years in the capital brought him into contact with the ideas of Henry Van de Velde, John Ruskin, and William Morris. He eventually returned to Courtrai to take over the family business, which grew alongside his own interests. By 1905, working with his brother Adolf and brothers-in-law Arthur Deleu and Marcel Brunein, he established De Coene Frères.

The expansion of the workshop

The years following the First World War brought a heavy need for carpentry and joinery. De Coene met this demand by expanding his operations, eventually moving into the production of furniture made from laminated wood. He traveled to the United States in 1921 with Dewin, an experience that informed his later work. His business, which later became Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede Gebroeders De Coene, grew to employ nearly 3,000 people at its peak. The workshop's output was featured in international exhibitions in Milan, Paris, Roubaix, and Brussels, often reflecting the Art déco style.

His home life and professional life were closely linked. He married Jeanne Courmont in 1906, and she joined the family enterprise. Together they had four daughters: Paulette, Lucienne, Cécile, and Charlotte. De Coene was known for his social habits, hosting weekly "Monday Tables" at his home from 1922 to 1940. These gatherings brought together local figures like Stijn Streuvels and Albert Saverys, as well as international designers such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe.

The painter's hand

While much of his energy went into the furniture industry, De Coene remained a painter. His subjects were often found in the quiet corners of nature or the stillness of a room. He worked primarily with oil on canvas, producing landscapes and still lifes. Some of his recorded works include:

• Country lane with row of trees
• Chrysanthemums on a draped Table
• A landscape

His paintings, much like his furniture, were rooted in the traditions of craftsmanship. His studio was located within his restored manor, Kasteel ter Walle, which he had renamed "Ma campagne." Though his later years were marked by the difficulties of the post-war period and his imprisonment in Saint-Gilles following World War II, his contribution to the Flemish arts and crafts remains visible in the pieces that left his workshops.