The Marcel Mariën Foundation was established on September 1st 2017. Friendly encounters may have been a start to the idea, but the desire to reveal to all the work of a complex artist, of whom there is yet so much to discover, was certainly the main motivation of our initiative. Discussions between long-time enthusiasts, who know that the essence of Marcel Mariën's work is rich and intricate and Mrs. Sarah Whitfield's desire to attempt an adventure that would finally offer a platform to the study of his oeuvre made the creation of this essential structure possible.

In 1937, at the age of 17, Marcel Mariën joined the group of surrealists in Brussels, alongside Paul Nougé, Camille Goemans, André Souris, René Magritte and others. He immediately exhibited his works with them and actively participated in the group's subversive actions. His writings and publications made him a fundamental member of the Belgian and international artistic scene and he became the first historian of surrealist activity in Belgium with his homonymous book and the publishing house Les Lèvres Nues, founded together with his friend Jane Graverol.