Sculpture
The sculptures are currently still in Jabbeke but have been safely reunited, including the three graces, the bust of Marie-Lou…. The large statues in the garden, namely Marie-Lou, Niobe and Liggend naakt, have remained in place and, like every winter, have been covered to protect them from the frost. This year Mu.ZEE is starting a research project on Permeke’s sculpture technique, more about which in a subsequent blog.
Did you know that …
Constant Permeke discovered sculpture later in life: in the years 1936-37 - he was already 50 years old - he began experimenting with sculpture. He baked small clay figurines in terracotta or cast them in plaster. His first large sculpture was a reclining Christ. He chipped away parts of the face with a chisel and painted some parts black to obtain greater contrasts. In this way, he developed a highly individual style, combining two techniques: sculpting and chipping. Marie-Lou, more than 2.5 metres high, was his first monumental work and this statue was also shown at the exhibition at ‘the Palace of Fine Arts’ in Brussels.
