Geert Bekaert (1928–2016) was a Belgian architectural critic and writer on art and design. He was one of the most prolific non-fiction writers in the Dutch language of the late 20th-century. As a young man he was for some years a member of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

. Bekaert's collected essays were published in nine volumes, 1985–2012. A selection of his essays has been published in English translation under the title ''Rooted in the Real'' (Ghent, 2008).

Biography

Shortly after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in 1946, Bekaert joined the

. As a Jesuit, he pursued studies in classical philology, art history, theology, and philosophy. In 1950, he made his debut with a text on the work of sculptor Bert Servaes in ''De Linie'', a magazine published through Belgian-Dutch collaboration by the Society of Jesus. Bekaert continued to publish on art and architecture in ''De Linie'', as well as in the review '' Streven'', likewise published with Jesuit editorial involvement. In 1958, Bekaert curated the exhibition "Ars Sacra" at Saint Peter's Church, Leuven, in collaboration with art and design critic K. N. Elno. Well into the 1960s, he played a crucial role in the discussion and theoretical development regarding secularized art vis-a-vis new, modern church architecture. In 1966, he published a booklet on the first theme with Davidsfonds, entitled ''Pop, het wezen van de kunst'' (Pop: the essence of art). His first major book on church architecture, entitled ''In een of ander huis: Kerkbouw op een keerpunt'', was published by Lannoo in 1967. In 2006

Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

acquired his library for its Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.Overlijden Prof. Geert Bekaert
, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, University of Ghent. Accessed 13 September 2016.

References

External links

* Geert Bekaert, "Wie over architectuur wil spreken, sta op, en zwijge." ''Wonen–TABK'', June 1983, pp. 10–27. In Dutch
Available online
. * Publications available through the Digital Library for Dutch Literature: https://www.dbnl.org/auteurs/auteur.php?id=beka003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bekaert, Geert 1928 births 2016 deaths Belgian non-fiction writers