André Dekeijser ( Brussel 1 August 1924 – 9 December 2013) was a Belgian contemporary sculptor known for his abstract and monumental work primarily in copper and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

Biography

André Dekeijser lived in Port-Francqui (

Ilebo Ilebo, formerly known as Port-Francqui, is a town in Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the highest navigable point of the Kasaï River. It is an important transport hub for ferries to Kinshasa and trains to Lubumbashi. ...

/ Congo), from 1926 to 1929, before moving back to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. He quickly developed his artistic talent and studied graphic arts at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles. After the Second World War, he worked for several years in the ceramics workshop of Alexandre Geufanstein before heading off in search of his (deceased) father's legacy in the Congo in 1952. There, he worked at the Geographical Institute of the Belgian Congo (I.G.C.B.). During this period, he created his first sculptures which were exhibited in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

in 1957. The influence of

African art African art encompasses modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual cultures originating from indigenous African diaspora, African communities across the African continent. The definition may also include the ar ...

was already apparent in his work. André Dekeijser started a family and returned to Belgium for 2 years where he worked as the cartographer of the provincial domain of Mirwart. Soon after he left with his wife and two children for an adventure in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil. Upon his return 3 years later he decided to dedicate himself to sculpture. He joined his friend André Eijberg before establishing a workshop of his own where he returned to

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

and patinas and began experimenting with new materials like blocks of

Ytong Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) also referred to as autoclaved cellular concrete (ACC) or simply autoclaved concrete is a lightweight, Prefabrication, prefabricated concrete building material. Developed in the mid-1920s, it is an alternat ...

(aerated concrete), whose low price allowed him to create oversized pieces. He also worked with wood and stone and began casting work in

, polishing some parts and creating patinas on others.

Work

Having manipulated terracotta, wood, stone and Y'tong, André Dekeijser focused on copper and bronze. The

polishing Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or by applying a chemical treatment, leaving a clean surface with a significant specular reflection (still limited by the index of refraction of the material accordi ...

and application of patinas on bronze pieces increased their relief and rendered them tactile. His first monumental pieces were created in copper. He cut, soldered and applied patinas to red copper creating larger formats whose intertwining shapes evoke the notion of the couple. In order to ascertain pieces could withstand enlargement, small clay or wax models were submitted to a test of a series of figurines diminishing in size. Having constructed several homes in the Congo and Brazil with his own hands, André Dekeijser created the project and built the model of a sculpture-home that was never completed despite the genuine interest of several architects. He also used his artistic talent to illustrate a textbook for students on the practice and techniques of

Osteopathy Osteopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. In most countries, practitioners of osteopathy are not medically trained and are referred to as osteo ...

. For his own pleasure he drew several comic strips with no intention of publishing. He also created bronze and silver jewelry using the

lost-wax casting Lost-wax castingalso called investment casting, precision casting, or ''cire perdue'' (; borrowed from French)is the process by which a duplicate sculpture (often a metal, such as silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is cast from an original scul ...

process.

Styles and influences

Having lived far from modern civilization, in the large tropical forests of Central Africa and the immense high plateaus of southern Brazil, it's no wonder that his art is neither weak or timid, but rather massive, imposing yet understated, made to be enlarged. The forms are robust but gracious lacking aggressiveness despite sharp edges; influenced by African art. André Dekeijser admired the work of

Constant Permeke Constant Permeke (; 31 July 1886 – 4 January 1952) was a Belgian painter and sculptor who is considered the leading figure of Flemish Expressionism. Biography Permeke was born in Antwerp but when he was six years old the family moved to Ost ...

, before turning to abstract art wherein he was profoundly inspired by

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

. The empty spaces in his abstract work are as important as the relief. In the early 1980s his study of forms took on a more sensual aspect. The duality of the sexes is present in this period. The duality of couples in shapes that interpenetrate, that embrace without touching that are nothing without the other is perhaps the subject most fully developed by the artist. Other themes explored include the mechanics of objects that make up a puzzle whereby the fun lies in studying the empty spaces and surfaces of each piece by taking them apart and trying to put them back in the correct order. These pieces require the spectator to touch and play with the objects in addition to looking at them. During this mechanical period, André Dekeijser created numerous drawings for astonishing machines that inevitably solicited the question : " what could they possibly be used for? » GdformeCouchee_02_1971

Realisations

* 1957 : First exhibition in

* 1966 : Gallery Egmont at the Petit Sablon * 1969 : Galerie "Le rempart" * 1971 : Galerie "Arcanes" and " Centre du Bâtiment" in Brussels. * 1971 : A large copper piece " Grandes formes couchées nr. 2 " installed between the rue d'Arlon and the rue de Trève. * 1972 : Acquisition of a piece for the hanging gardens of the Manhattan Center (Brussels) * Works acquired by the Belgian government as well as Belgian and foreign private collections * 1972 : Sculpture in the city : xhibition * 1975 : Open-air sculptures : Contemporary Belgian sculptors: xhibition * 1980 : The commune of Watermael-Boitsfort acquired "Formes dans l'espace nr. 10" * 1982 : The commune of Watermael-Boitsfort acquires "Formes dans l'espace nr. 5" a large bronze exposed dans in the hall of "La maison de la culture" of Boitsfort. * 1984 : Exhibition at "La Vénerie", Culturel center of Watermael-Boitsfort, 15.11 1984 – 02.12 1984 * 1990 : ''Participant, 6 PHOTOGRAPHERS AND 6 SCULPTORS A LA VENERIE'' * 2016 : ''“COUPLES” Retrospective 1958 – 1986 Sculptures 19 November 2015 to 9 January 2016''''“COUPLES” Retrospective 1958 – 1986 Sculptures 19 November 2015 to 9 January 2016''
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Notes and references

* MONUMENTS, sculptures in the urban fabric Kortrijk October 2011, , p. 90/91 * Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of Artists in Belgium since 1830 ed. Arto 1995 * Osteopathy, vertebral joint diagnosis diagnostic articulaire vertébral Author(s) : Jean-Pierre Barral, Jean-Paul Mathieu, Pierre Mercier, André Dekeijser Publisher : Diffusion Maloine 1982

External links

André Dekeijser's website

Royal Musea for Fine Arts Belgium
* His daughter Carole Dekeijser
Art et entreprises (octobre 1984)

Antiques In Europe Réf: photo 009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekeijser, Andre 20th-century Belgian sculptors 21st-century Belgian sculptors Belgian abstract sculptors Belgian male sculptors 1924 births 2013 deaths Belgian people of the Belgian Congo