Jef Lambeaux or Josef Lambeaux (14 January 18525 June 1908) was a Belgian sculptor. His best known work is '' Temple of Human Passions'', a colossal

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

Early life and education

Lambeaux was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

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 ...

, on 14 January 1852. He studied at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, and was a pupil of Jean Geefs. He was part of a group of young artists, the "Van Beers clique", led by Jan van Beers. This group included the artists Piet Verhaert (1852–1908) and Alexander Struys (1852–1941). They were well known for their mischievous and eccentric behaviour, including walking around Antwerp dressed in historic costumes.

Career

His first work, ''War'', was exhibited in 1871, and was followed by a long series of humorous groups, including ''Children Dancing, Say Good Morning, The Lucky Number'' and; ''An Accident'' (1875). He then went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he executed ''The Beggar and The Blini Pauper'' for the Belgian salons, and produced ''The Kiss'' (1881), generally regarded as his masterpiece. Claire J. R. Colinet – who would have great success during her career in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

era – was one of Lambeaux's students during his time in Paris. After visiting

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where he was much impressed by the works of Jean Boulogne, he showed a strong predilection for effects of force and motion. Other notable works include his Brabo Fountain in Antwerp (1886), ''Robbing the Eagles Eyrie'' (1890), ''Drunkenness'' (1893), ''The Triumph of Woman'', ''The Bitten Faun'' (which created a great stir at the Exposition Universelle at

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

in 1905), and '' The Human Passions'', a colossal

, elaborated from a sketch exhibited in 1889. Of his numerous busts may be mentioned those of Hendrik Conscience, and of Charles Buls, the

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

.''Nineteenth Century Decorative Arts.'' 1984. London: Sotheby's, p. 442.Catley, Bryan. 2003. ''Art Deco and Other Figures.'' Woodbridge, UK: Antique Collectors Club Limited, p. 390.

''Temple of Human Passions''

Lambeaux didn't escape the wrath of art critics when he showed a life-size model of ''Temple of Human Passions'' at the Salon Triennial in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

in 1889. The sculpture managed to attract such fury and uproar that in 1890 the journal ''L’Art Moderne'' described the work as follows:

Death

Lambeaux died on 5 June 1908 in

Honours

* 1887: Knight in the Order of Leopold.

Gallery

File:Mariemont_Lambeaux_JPG1a.jpg, ''Le Triomphe de la Femme'' (1901) File:Temple of Human Passions.jpg, ''Temple of Human Passions'' (1898) File:Jef Lambeaux JPG1c.jpg, ''Le Triomphe de la Femme'' (1901) File:Morlanwelz Mariemont JPG12.jpg, ''The Joy'' bas relief fragment of ''The Human Passions'' File:Mariemont_Lambeaux_JPG2a.jpg, ''L'Abondance'' (1902) File:0 Bruxelles - Petit Sablon - Blanchisseur.JPG, ''Le Blanchisseur'' () File:Cathedral of our Lady 9 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg, Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp File:Antwerp Brabofontein 017 8004.jpg, '' Brabo'' (1886)

Jef Lambeaux Museum

In 2006 the association "ASBL Musée Jef Lambeaux" was set up to promote the creation of a museum dedicated to the artist in Saint-Gilles, Belgium. The museum was already promised by the municipality of Saint-Gilles in 1898 but never built.

Notes

Alain Jacobs, https://collections.heritage.brussels/fr/objects/42758 rchivettps://collections.heritage.brussels/fr/objects/42760 rchivehttps://collections.heritage.brussels/fr/objects/4275 rchive rchivettps://collections.heritage.brussels/fr/objects/42761 rchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambeaux, Jef 19th-century Belgian sculptors 20th-century Belgian sculptors Belgian male sculptors 1852 births 1908 deaths Artists from Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni