Guillaume Geefs: From Belliard to Leopold I

The statue of Belliard at the top of the stairs between BOZAR and Warande Park, the statue of Leopold I atop the Congress Column, and the memorial on Martyrs’ Square: these are all works by Guillaume Geefs. Each and every one of these sculptures was intended to promote an independent Belgium. He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, with the right connections.

It’s strange that we don’t know the highly talented Guillaume Geefs (1805–1883) by name, because his work is everywhere. Not only in Brussels, but also far beyond the country’s borders, his sculptures have been included in art collections or can be admired in public spaces.

Born in Antwerp as the son of a baker, he settled in Brussels at a young age. His innate talent for business led him to the new and wealthy capital. Through the network of his Irish wife, Fanny Corr, and thanks to the intervention of Leopold I, Geefs attracted a clientele from across the Channel.

Together with his friend Gustave Wappers, Geefs was the sculptor who provided the young Belgian nation with works of art that shaped its identity. Wappers’ best-known work depicts the struggle for independence on the Grand Place. Next to this immense canvas in the main hall of the Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium stands a statue of Leopold I, another work by Geefs, originally from the Chamber of Representatives.

This walking tour was developed in response to the publication Guillaume Geefs by Korei guide Frederik Tinck. The book is available, among other places, at the museum shop of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.