Geefs, Willem

(1805-1883)

   The son of a baker, William Geefs was born in Borgerhout, near Antwerp, on 10 September 1805. He studied sculpture in Antwerp and won a prize at the Antwerp salon of 1828, which enabled him to study in Paris. In 1832, he completed his first bust of King Leopold I and he moved to Brussels the following year. He is known for his busts of members of the royal family and prominent statesmen, including Leopold I on the Colonne du Congrès, Charles Rogier, and Henri de Brouckère. His Général Augustin-Daniël Belliard (1836) on the rue Royale began a long tradition of larger than life, historically accurate sculptural depictions.

   Geefs produced a great number of pieces with his four brothers overseeing a number of assistants. In 1838, he completed a Monument to the Combatants of 1830 for the place des Martyrs. From 1852 to 1861 Geefs served as burgomaster of Schaerbeek, where he died on 19 January 1883.