Renowned for his refined busts, public monuments and contribution to Belgium’s artistic heritage.

Charles Henri Geerts, born in Antwerp on June 10, 1807, was a Belgian sculptor of the neo-Gothic style. He studied at the Antwerp Academy from 1824 to 1833 under the tutelage of sculptors Jean-Baptiste Van Hool and Dutch artist Jean-Antoine Van der Ven. Upon completing his studies, he won first prize in anatomy.

In 1834, Geerts was appointed professor of modeling and sculpture at the Leuven Academy, a position he held until his death in 1855. He debuted in the same year at the Antwerp Salon with a bust and a statue : The Dawn. During his career, Geerts executed numerous commissions, including nine busts for the rotunda of the Antwerp Royal Theatre, the bust of Raphael commissioned by King Leopold I in 1836, and a state commission for a marble bust of the Madonna for the National Museum.

In 1839, a competition was held to select an architect for the new choir stalls for clergy, choristers, and churchwardens at Antwerp Cathedral. The neo-Gothic project by Frans Durlet, a 23-year-old architect and sculptor, was chosen. It envisioned a monumental design involving several sculptors, including Joseph Geefs, Jan Baptist de Cuyper, and Charles Geerts. The project engaged Geerts for approximately a decade.

Amid this period of artistic fervor and revivalist styles, Geerts found his niche. In 1842, he opened a school for religious sculpture in Leuven, reviving traditional woodcarving techniques. He created bas-reliefs and sculptures for renowned churches and cathedrals, including Notre-Dame de Paris, where he contributed to the cathedral’s choir. His work is defined by a neo-Gothic style but also incorporates neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque elements, achieving widespread acclaim in Europe, including England, the cradle of the neo-Gothic movement. After exhibiting statuettes in Cologne in 1845, Geerts became a corresponding member of the Kunstverein.

Geerts’s influence extended beyond religious sculpture. Today, his renown includes more secular pieces, such as Les Danseuses (Rococo style, 1855) and La Nymphe accompagnée d’un cygne (1845). He passed away in Leuven on June 16, 1855.

Literature :

• ENGELEN, C. & MARX, M., La sculpture en Belgique à partir de 1830. Tome III : Devreese – Hecq, Bruxelles, Crédit Communal, 2006, pp. 1630-1631.
• VAN LANEY, J., La sculpture belge au 19ᵉ siècle. Catalogue d’exposition, Bruxelles, Crédit Communal de Belgique, 1990, pp. 424-425.