Bust of a Woman George Minne

George Minne, one of the most influential Belgian Symbolist sculptors of the turn of the century, trained in Paris after completing formal art studies at the academies in Ghent and Brussels. Even his earliest sculptures reflected a unique, personal vision. Rather than the classical Renaissance tradition, he was inspired by the Gothic style of the Low Countries and by his fellow sculptor Auguste Rodin.
In his works, he sought to capture complex emotions and states of mind. The first version of his marble bust of a woman, entitled Melancholy, was made in 1899. That same year, Minne created several female busts with similar compositions, all of which were probably associated with a monument in Ghent to the Belgian Symbolist poet and writer Georges Rodenbach. The charming but austere face and the downcast, pensive gaze convey sorrow and dejection. The work was exhibited at the 1908 Winter International Exhibition in the Budapest Műcsarnok (Art Hall) and was later purchased by the Museum of Fine Arts from the celebrated collection of Baron Adolf Kohner.

Anett Somodi