Georges van der Straeten

GEORGES VAN DER STRAETEN (Belgium, 1856-1941).
"Bust of a young man".
Patinated bronze on marble base.
Presents signature and seal.
Measurements: 19,5 x 10 x 8 cm.
Georges Van der Straeten worked initially as a lawyer; from 1882, he was a student of the sculptors Jef Lambeaux and Gustave Kasteleyn (1848-1900). In 1883, he left Ghent and moved to Paris, where he exhibited at the salons of the Société des Artistes Français from 1885 to 1912. Among his friends were the Belgian painters Jan van Beers and Rik Wouters. He received several awards, including a silver medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle; in 1903 he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.
As an artist of the Belle Époque, he stood at the turning point between Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau. His works testify to his great technical skill and the high quality of his work; his favorite materials were bronze, chryselephantine and terracotta. He created numerous sculptures and busts of graceful and seductive fantasy figures of young Parisian girls in the "endearing style of 18th century sculptors".