Jef Lambeaux Bronze statue “Wrestlers”

Jef Lambeaux studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. His first work “War” was exhibited in 1871, after which he left for Paris and made the sculptures “The Beggar” and “The Kiss” (1881). This statue was considered his masterpiece.
During a study trip to Italy he was strongly influenced by the work of Giambologna. He was now processing the effects of force and motion
in the human figure in his works.

The Brabo Fountain (1887) on the Grote Markt in Antwerp was inspired by the work of Giambologna with its strong movement effects and has become a symbol of the city of Antwerp. This concerns the legendary founder of Antwerp, Silvius Brabo. On the base you can see mermaids and seals.

Jef Lambeax called himself more of a realist than a symbolist. He only wanted to portray the soul and movement of his models. He wanted to appeal to the eye rather than the intellect. That is typical for Lambeaux.

The bronze statue “Wrestlers” made in 1895 is in the Middelheim Museum and the Museum of Ixelles. The later bronze version of this statue in 1896 is located in the Aalter sports complex and in Laken Sportlaan.

The bronze statue has a dark brown patina. The representation of the statue concerns two men wrestling with each other, where the upright man with an antique beard holds the other firmly in a grip with his face down and his legs up and thus has to give in.
You can also see the influence of the Italian sculptor Giambologna in this lively statue with a lot of power and movement.
The statue rests on a bronze pedestal.