Van Hoeydonck is an avant-garde artist in every sense of the word. He was a co-founder of G58 Hessenhuis, Antwerp and a force behind the ZERO group exhibitions, Van Hoeydonck's oeuvre still looks ahead of its times, almost six decennia later. His monochrome white on white works, also called 'Lightworks' bear testimony to Van Hoeydonck's pioneering 'Static Movement' (Mouvement Statique/ Statische Beweging). The painting itself is static but can only be viewed in motion. These revolutionary works were first presented to the public at the Hessenhuis 'Statische Beweging' exhibition in 1959. They further were the subject of his one-man shows at Galerie Iris Clert, Paris (1961) and the Paleis voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels (1961). In 1962 Paul Van Hoeydonck represented Belgium at the Venice Biennale. The art historical importance of these 'Lightworks' was subsequently realised with the MOMA New York acquiring an example for their collection.

Van Hoeydonck's work is represented in many museum collections, including: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Walraff-Richartz Museum, Cologne.