andre

Biography

1924 Born in Brussels

1937-1940 Attends the « Académie des Beaux-Arts », Brussels (drawing)

1941-1952 Works in a ceramics studio near Brussels

1952-1960 Lives in Africa. First sculptures. 1957, exibition in Kinshasa

1961-1964 Lives in Brazil

1964 Returns to Belgium and takes up sculpture again (terra cotta and carving of stone)

1966 Starts with abstract forms. Exhibition at the gallery « Egmont » in Brussels

1967 First bronze and wrought copper pieces

1968 Creation of pieces with interpenetrated elements

1969 Exhibition at the gallery « Le Rempart » in Brussels

1971 Exhibition at the gallery « Arcanes » and the « Building Center » in Brussels. « Big reclining figures n°2 » made for a building on the rue d'Arlon

1972 The Manhattan Center (Brussels) acquires a sculpture for the hanging gardens

1973 Participates in the « Salon des Grands et des Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui » in Paris

1974 Exhibits at the « Housting Show » in Brussels. Creates a series of big plaster pieces for casting in bronze. Permanent exhibition at gallery « Blivan » in Brussels

1975: Outdoor sculptures : Contemporary Belgian sculptures: (Exhibition) : Nassogne, 04.07 1975 - 15.09 1975
1980: The commune of Watermael-Boitsfort acquires "Formes dans l'espace n°10"
1982: The commune of Watermael-Boitsfort acquires "Formes dans l'espace n°5" a large bronze displayed in the entryway of the cultural arts center of Boitsfort
1984: La Vénerie, Cultural Center of Watermael-Boitsfort, 15.11 1984 - 02.12 1984
1990: 6 PHOTOGRAPHS & 6 SCULPTURES at LA VENERIE Jean-François Walhain, Le Soir page 21 Tuesday May 22, 1990.

 The studio and showroom, where the majority of the artist's work can be viewed, are open to visitors.  Contact us.

Collective exhibitions

  • Province de Brabant (Brussels)

  • Art Actuel (Bruges)

  • Artistes Contemporains (Galerie Empain)

  • 112 Sculptures Cité d'Hier

  • Salon International de Sculpture et de Peinture (Brussels)

  • Les Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui (Paris)

 

 

Monumental pieces

  • Private property in Ohain (Two standing figures n°2)

  • Rue d'Arlon in Brussels (Big reclining figures n°2)

  • Manhattan Center in Brussels

 

Sculptures acquired by the Belgian State and in private Belgian and foreign collections (Baron L. Empain, Ch. De Pauw…).

 

 

D05 49 PapaBureau 800 

 

 

An artist and gifted poet

An inspired generation, worthy heir of the metal ages, fascinated by primitive art, a wizard with wood, eager to exchange ideas with architects who have a sense of unity and creation, an exceptionally talented generation reaping the benefits of maturity.

Among the 10 most talented sculptors of his generation, André Dekeijser is a master of materials, proportions and rhythm; handling bronze, copper, wood, iron and aluminum  with elegiacal sentiment, imposing life-like movement and a dynamism that evokes, in the abstract expression of his thoughts, the force of trees and the harmony of a couple.

It is in the work of Brancusi, and even more so in Laurens, that we find the origins of sensual sculpture at the beginning of the century, suggesting, in their use of superb materials, the intoxicating effect of possessing the molding visual space.

For André Dekeijser, order is of the utmost importance.  In his « Histoire de la sculpture de ce siècle » (Edition du Griffon, à Neufchâtel), Michel Seuphor points out that order in no way implies  academic achievement or style but rather that it is a personal quest, in each artistic discipline, for every individual: "It is the true quest of all men.  It is the secret image that all artists search for.  It is their reason for being, and the substance of their creations."

This sense of order manifests itself in André Dekeijser's work in height and width in compositions of intertwined forms that emerge like figureheads of contemporary architecture.

Henceforth, one must acknowledge that sculpture is not merely a large ornament, but rather an object naturally thriving in nature on a scale as grand as that of the Greece-Roman era.  It seems that at the end of this second millennium we have rediscovered the totems of our ancestors and the sacred function of erecting a sculpture on a mountain top, as did the leaders of Andean civilizations.

The extreme tension in the works of André Dekeijser is without a doubt what strikes us the most as if there were a fervent desire to convince, enlighten and make sacred.

Paul CASO for "Le Soir" 1974

 

The central theme of abstract art: Man, the couple

The human figure has its limits.  For the sculptor, more so than the painter, abstract art has been and remains the ultimate means of escape, the exploration of new forms, new spaces and new measures to work with.

Today, we are able to understand and retrace the artist's journey in the finished work.  With stone and other raw materials, André Dekeijser explored many directions, including ceramics as he was once a ceramist. The danger inherent in the abstract? To distance oneself from humanity, to become the journey itself, to leave reality; to forget that the work of art is first and foremost the work of man and in particular the human couple.  The meaning of a lifetime of work, is revealed and explained, I would say, in recent pieces.

These "two pieces" represent, the eternal duality man - woman, the grand dialogue between two beings both alike and different, the struggle for love, and the love that evokes conflict.

Jacques Collard for « Pourquoi pas ? » 1974