Belgian animalier master, he unites nature, motion, and sculpted expressiveness.

Albéric Collin was a renowned Belgian animal sculptor of the 20th century. Born in Antwerp in 1886, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he developed a deep passion for capturing the vitality and spirit of animals. Early in his career, he became closely associated with Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916), whose influence was instrumental in shaping Collin’s artistic direction. Frequent visits to the Antwerp Zoo provided him with an inexhaustible source of inspiration, ultimately leading him to abandon human subjects in favor of meticulously observed animal forms.

Collin’s work is rooted in the tradition of great animal sculptors such as Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) and François Pompon (1855-1933), yet it is distinguished by a naturalistic and expressive approach. Eschewing excessive detail, he favored harmonious lines and sculptural modeling that emphasized volume, movement, and strength. His bronzes, often cast by the prestigious Claude Valsuani foundry, were typically produced in very limited editions, enhancing their rarity and value.

Throughout his career, Collin exhibited widely in Belgium and abroad, earning acclaim at major venues including the Salon des Artistes Français, where he was awarded an honorary medal in 1922. For the 1935 Brussels Universal Exhibition, he installed a concrete Elephant in front of the Belgian Congo pavilion, which can still be seen today at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren.

Among his public works are the Walking and Seated Cheetahs at the Antwerp Zoo, as well as various monumental sculptures across Belgium. Today, Albéric Collin is regarded as one of the foremost Belgian animal sculptors of the 20th century. His elegant and powerful interpretations of the animal world remain an essential part of Belgium’s national artistic heritage, with numerous pieces preserved in major museums and collections.

Literature :

• BENEZIT, E. Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. Paris: Librairie Gründ, 1961. Vol.3. p. 788

• MACKAY, J. The Dictionary of sculptors in bronze. England : Antique Collectors’ Club, 1992. p.76

• ENGELEN, C. MARX, M. La Sculpture en Belgique à partir de 1830,Tome I. Engelen – Marx, Louvain, 2006. p. 585-592.