Karel Hendrik Geerts (10 August 1807 – 16 June 1855) was a Belgian

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

sculptor who mainly focused on

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

Life and work

Karel Geerts was educated at the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

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 ...

under the direction of JB Van Hool and (from 1824 to 1833). He married Ludovica Maria Ruelens. In 1835 he became a teacher at the Academy of

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

and remained so until his death. From 1842 he carried on activities in a sculpture studio in the ''Savoyestraat'' in Leuven. It was there that he developed a school of religious sculpture with about sixty pupils. A few years later, in 1846, he bought a wing of the former in the same street, which had been confiscated by the French occupier in 1797. The college

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

had already been demolished (since 1807). In the year of his death, Geerts had his building in the ''Savoyestraat'' enlarged. He had a side building constructed at the back in the direction of the ''Nieuwstraat'', which is nowadays called the ''Leopold Vanderkelenstraat''. After Geerts' death in 1855, his widow sold the premises of the Savoy College in May 1858 to the future mayor of Leuven Leopold Vander Kelen and his wife Maria Mertens. The buildings were sold for a sum of 30,000 Belgian Francs. In time they were furnished as the Leopold Vander Kelenmuseum. Because of his work, Geerts was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and Knight in the Order of Leopold. In

Borgerhout Borgerhout () is the smallest districts of Antwerp, district of Antwerp, Belgium. , the district housed 45,769 inhabitants on 3.93 km². It was an independent municipality until January 1983. The postal area code for Borgerhout is 2140. Geography ...

(Antwerp) Karel Geertsstraat (near the Turnhoutse Poort) was named after him.

Gallery

File:Kathedraal van Sint-Aubain (Namur) - Preekstoel gebouwd door Karel Geerts (detail 1).jpg, Pulpit of

St Aubin's Cathedral St. Aubin's Cathedral () is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic cathedral in Namur, Belgium, and the country's only cathedral in Baroque architecture, academic Late Baroque style. It was the only church built in the Low Countries as a cathedral afte ...

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

File:Kathedraal van Sint-Aubain (Namur) - Korfmacher-orgel met beeldhouwwerk door Karel Geerts).jpg,

with sculptures by Geerts File:Sint-Pieterskerk (Turnhout) - Grafmonument Petrus Joannes Denef.jpg, Funerary monument of Petrus Joannes Denef, in the Sint-Pieterskerk in

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

File:Houten sculptuur van engelen en Maria met kind door vermoedelijk Charles Geerts, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen Carvings in Oak. Geerts (titel op object), RP-F-F25215-AW.jpg, Wooden sculpture of Angels and Mary with the Child

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geerts, Karel Hendrik 1807 births 1855 deaths 19th-century Belgian sculptors 19th-century Belgian male artists Artists from Antwerp