Art & Statues
Jan Anteunis Art Deco Bronze “Nixe”
Jan Anteunis Art Deco Bronze “Nixe”
A rare Art Deco bronze by the important Belgian artist Jan Anteunis, dated 1943 and signed by the artist. This is a sculpture with all the qualities we look for in a serious period work. The proportions are beautifully resolved, the casting quality is excellent, and the figure has the unmistakable presence of an important Art Deco bronze. She rests on her original substantial marble base, whose grained surface complements the sculpture with great effect.
The patina is especially beautiful. The smooth modeling of the reclining female form contrasts with the textured headdress, which visually continues into the sculptural base beneath her. That relationship between figure, surface, and support gives the bronze a very sophisticated design quality. The work feels complete from every angle, with a calm, stylized power that places it firmly within the best traditions of European Art Deco sculpture.
What makes this piece even more exceptional is its direct relationship to Anteunis’s public sculpture of the same subject, titled “Nixe.” The original large scale version was executed in stone and remains installed on the Zeedijk in De Haan, Belgium. To see the public sculpture and then compare it to this bronze is remarkable. The forms correspond beautifully, giving this piece a special historical importance beyond its visual appeal. This is the kind of sculpture that belongs in a serious Art Deco collection, museum setting, exhibition, or, quite honestly, a very special home.
Jan Anteunis was a Belgian artist who was born in 1896 in Ghent and died there 1973. At the outbreak of the First World War, Anteunis went to England to study sculpture at the art academy in Liverpool. Between 1918 and 1920, he went to the Academie voor Schone Kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) where he was apprenticed to Felix Metdepenninghen (1867-1937) and Geo Verbanck (1881-1961). From the 1920s, Anteunis was influenced by his teacher Geo Verbanck and began working in an art deco style. During this period, Anteunis sculptures became more modern.
About 1926 he began developing his more mature style which is reflected in the works “Christuskop” and “Droom”. His first solo exhibition was held in “Zaal Pan” in Ghent in 1928. In the 1930s, he began gradually achieving fame and he exhibited in various galleries in Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels. In the 1930s and 1940s, dance became an important theme in Anteunis’ work and he created stylised sculptures like “Boléro” or “Prière de Beethoven”. It was during this period, he made his most important sculptures. Besides his sculptures, he also created various drawings which were shown at numerous exhibitions. In the 1960s, he became a painter.
His sculptures can be found in the museums of Brussels, Sint-Niklaas and Roeselare.
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