The Godecharle prize or the Godecharle contest is a contest for art students, the winners of which are granted a scholarship allocated by the Godecharle Foundation. The conditions for participation are that contestants are less than 35 years old, of Belgian nationality, or members of a country of the European Community who have lived in Belgium for at least five years. Napoléon Godecharle (1803-1875) created the Godecharle Foundation on the 15th of March 1871 in remembrance of his father, the prominent sculptor

Gilles-Lambert Godecharle Gilles-Lambert Godecharle (2 December 1750 in Brussels − 24 February 1835 in Brussels) was a Belgian sculptor, a pupil of Laurent Delvaux, "the only sculptor of international repute in Delvaux's retinue", who became one of two outstanding repr ...

and with the aim of promoting the education and the career of young Belgian artists, either sculptors, painters or architects. To this end, the Godecharle foundation organizes every other year a contest better-known under its French name, the ''Prix Godecharle'' (the 'Godecharleprijs' in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

). The prize allows young talents, unknown before the award, to become recognized by a panel of experts made up of famous artists. The renown of the contest is based, amongst other things, upon the reputation of the artists who sit on the jury. The foundation has entrusted a provincial board, the so-called ''Commission provinciale des Fondations de bourses d’études du Brabant'' with the management of the contest and the follow-up exhibitions of the works of participants. The Godecharle bursaries are allocated by this board, on proposals made up by a jury of renowned artists.

The contest

The first contest was organized in 1881. At the start, the competition took place every three years on the occasion of the ''Salons triennaux des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles'' in Belgium. Because of the First World War, the contest was adjourned until 1921. Since 1933, it is held every two years. The laureates win prize money of 5,000 euros, granted in two instalments over two years. In accordance with its founder’s wishes, the winners have to spend this money on travelling abroad in order to improve their education or to conduct research, traditionally in Italy, the ceaseless return to

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

sources.

The jury

Many famous painters, sculptors and architects of these last hundred years have accepted to be members of the jury of the Godecharle contest. Some of them are internationally recognized, including

Emile Claus Emile Claus (27 September 1849 – 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter. Life Emile Claus was born on 27 September 1849, in Sint-Eloois-Vijve, a village in West Flanders (Belgium), at the banks of the river Lys. Emile was the twelfth child in ...

Paul Delvaux Paul Delvaux (; 23 September 1897 – 20 July 1994) was a Belgian painter noted for his dream-like scenes of women, classical architecture, trains and train stations, and skeletons, often in combination. He is often considered a surrealist, alt ...

Léon Frédéric Léon-Henri-Marie Frédéric (26 August 1856 – 27 January 1940) was a Belgian Symbolist painter. His earliest paintings joined Christian mysticism with pantheistic themes, while his later works increasingly reflected social concerns. Much of his ...

Fernand Khnopff Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff (12 September 1858 – 12 November 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter. Life Youth and training Fernand Khnopff was born to a wealthy family that was part of the high bourgeoisie for generations. Khnopf ...

Constant Permeke Constant Permeke (; 31 July 1886 – 4 January 1952) was a Belgian painter and sculptor who is considered the leading figure of Flemish expressionism. Biography Permeke was born in Antwerp but when he was six years old the family moved to Ost ...

, Jean Brusselmans, Louis Van Lint,

Victor Bourgeois Victor Bourgeois (29 August 1897 – 24 July 1962) was a Belgian architect and urban planner, considered the greatest Belgian modernist architect. Bourgeois was born in Charleroi and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels from ...

, and

Pierre Alechinsky Pierre Alechinsky (born 19 October 1927) is a Belgian artist. He has lived and worked in France since 1951. His work is related to tachisme, abstract expressionism, and lyrical abstraction. Life Alechinsky was born in Schaerbeek. In 1944 he att ...

. The successful careers of some of the winners also boosted the renown of this contest. These winners included personalities such as

Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. His Hôtel Tassel in Brussels, built in 1892–93, is often ...

, Egide Rombaux,

Victor Rousseau Victor Rousseau ( Feluy, 16 December 1865 – Forest, 17 March 1954) also known as M. Victor Rousseau, was a Belgian sculptor and medalist. Biography Rousseau was of Walloon heritage and descended from a line of stonemasons. He began carv ...

, John Cluysenaar, Tom Frantzen, Olivier Leloup,

Guillaume Van Strydonck Guillaume Van Strydonck (10 December 1861, Namsos – 2 July 1937, Saint-Gilles) was a Belgian painter. He was initially a realist, but later turned to impressionism. Life and work Van Strydonck was born in Norway, where his father was emplo ...

, Éliane de Meuse, Taf Wallet,

Alfred Bastien Alfred Théodore Joseph Bastien (16 September 1873, in Ixelles – 7 June 1955, in Uccle) was a Belgian artist, academic, and soldier. He attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Ghent, where he studied with Jean Delvin. He then enrol ...

and Isidore Opsomer. A significant milestone in the history of the contest was the first grant of the prize to a female sculptor in 1921. The winner Éliane de Meuse was only twenty-two years old when she won the prize. and the awarding panel comprised the Belgian symbolist Alberto Ciamberlani,

Armand Rassenfosse Armand Rassenfosse (6 August 1862 – 28 January 1934) was a largely self-taught Belgian graphic artist, book illustrator and painter. His masterwork was a set of illustrations for Charles Baudelaire's ''Les Fleurs du mal''. Early years Armand Ra ...

and the Belgian neo-impressionist

. The winning work, entitled Daphnis et Chloé was of an impressive size, i.e. 225 cm by 180 cm, and depicted a naked young couple in an embrace. In his report to the Minister, the chairman of the panel highlighted the stylistic qualities of the composition. Paul Caso, '' Éliane de Meuse'' monography, p 7 et Paul Piron, dictionnaire des artistes plasticiens de Belgique des XIXe et XXe siècles, volume 3, p. 235-238

The laureates

The laureates of the Prix Godecharle from 1881 to the present.

External links

* Fondation Godecharl

(in French and in Dutch) * List of the artists and jury members of the Prix Godecharle since its creatio

* New York Public Library. Art and Architecture Division. ''Bibliographic guide to art and architecture''. G. K. Hall., 1977

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godecharle Prize Visual arts awards Belgian awards

The contest

The jury

The laureates

External links

See also

Notes