ROBERT DELNEST ‘ Woman's face ’ sculpture portrait / bust in bronze 1961

Sculpture of a face / bust of a woman in bronze with a light golden patina (dated 1961) by Robert Delnest.

This work was presented at the Salon itinérant de peintres et sculpteurs du Hainaut and in the Belgian art magazine ‘Savoir et Beauté, nov 1966', see attached photo. Could this be ‘Mme D', one of her acclaimed busts (see biography below)?

Perfect condition, original Mazy black marble base.

Packing and delivery costs to be expected:
Pick-up: Free.
For Belgium: 30€.
For France: 50€.
For Europe: 70€.
For the rest of the world: 150€.

Biography (ref: La sculpture en Belgique à partir de 1830 - Engelen - Marx; Wikipédia):

Robert DELNEST (1904, Mons - 1979, Leeuw-Saint-Pierre).

A sculptor and medallist who trained at the Académie de Mons under the sculptors Léon Gobert and Paul Dubois (1919-1927), Robert Delnest distinguished himself through his mastery of monumental sculpture, including Art Deco styling. His early works were in the tradition of Rodin and Meunier, before he moved towards a modernist style.

He excelled in direct stone carving, while also producing works in bronze (notably for the Compagnie de Bronzes de Bruxelles), such as Maternité. His work adorns a number of public buildings, including the Maisons Communales in Charleroi, Quaregnon and Binche, the Province of Mons building, and the Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi stations in Brussels.

He studied drawing and sculpture at the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Mons from 1919 to 1927, before going on to study ceramics at the Institut des Arts et Métiers du Hainaut.

In 1954, he founded the ‘Art et Réalité' group with Edmond Dufrunfaut, Serge Creuz, Rik Slabbinck Roger Sommeville, Raymond Coumans, Louis Tournay and Paul Van Thienen.

To our Colonial Veterans 1876-1908, Charleroi Town Hall (1st floor), statue, 1953.
Gille, Collégiale Saint-Ursmer, Binche, bronze statue, 1952.
Map of Belgium in relief, on the building at the entrance to Bruxelle-Congrès station, 1953.
Statues (underground miner, stonecutter, puddler, glassblower, brewer and potter) on the facade of the Provincial Government headquarters, Rue verte 11-13, Mons, 1939-1953.
‘La Joyeuse Entrée en 1918 de S.M. le Roi chevalier Léopold Albert', Place des étangs Noirs, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, 24 November 1968.

Throughout his career, he received a number of prestigious awards:

- Diplôme d'honneur de sculpture in Paris (1937).

- National Sculpture Prize (1947).

- Prix de la Province du Hainaut (1952).

- Gold medal for his ceramics in Paris.

Delnest took part in numerous exhibitions in Belgium and abroad, including:

- Brussels World Fair (1935).

- Moscow and Leningrad (1937).

- Buenos Aires (1946).

- Montevideo (1946).

- Egypt (1946).

- Salon du Musée des Beaux-Arts (1948).

He exhibited works such as Glaneuse, Agneau, as well as notable busts, such as that of C. Benoit and Mme D.

A professor at the Academies of Mons and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, he lived at 74, rue de l'église in Ruysbroeck. Some of his work is listed in the Fonds de la Compagnie des Bronzes (1945) at the Kingdom's General Archives in Brussels.