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Un hippopotame de bronze, massif et paisible, attribué à Herbert Geldhof

La bête avance d'un pas lent sur une terrasse rectangulaire, tête basse, museau lourd, les plis du cou profondément marqués. Tout le modelé reste accidenté : le bronze garde la trace du modelage et de l'outil, une surface grenue où la patine brune, presque noire dans les creux, s'éclaircit en reflets cuivrés sur le dos et les flancs. La lumière glisse sur cette masse arrondie sans jamais la lisser. Le socle, travaillé avec la même liberté, appartient pleinement à la sculpture.

La galerie attribue ce bronze à Herbert Geldhof, né en Belgique en 1929 et mort en 2007. Avant la sculpture, il y eut l'Afrique, où il vécut de 1951 à 1956, puis le dessin : de 1959 à 1971, Geldhof publie dans Spirou, où paraissent Simba Lee et Docteur Gladstone. Inscrit en sculpture à l'Académie d'Ixelles à partir de 1962, il quitte la bande dessinée au début des années 1970. Il réalise alors des animaux en plâtre, en terre cuite, en bronze ou en pierre taillée directement. Sur la terrasse, une signature en capitales se lit en partie : H.J. puis un nom commençant par G, compatible avec Geldhof.

Époque
XXe siècle
Matière
Bronze à patine brune
Sujet
Hippopotame sur terrasse
Attribution
Attribué à Herbert Geldhof
Dimensions
L. 38 × l. 14 × H. 19 cm
État
Bon état
Read in English

The animal moves at an unhurried pace across a rectangular base, head lowered, muzzle heavy, the folds of the neck deeply scored. The modelling is left rough throughout: the bronze keeps the trace of modelling and of the tool, a grainy surface where the brown patina, almost black in the hollows, warms to coppery highlights along the back and flanks. Light moves over this rounded mass without ever smoothing it. The base, worked with the same freedom, belongs fully to the sculpture.

The gallery attributes this bronze to Herbert Geldhof, born in Belgium in 1929, died in 2007. Before sculpture came Africa, where he lived from 1951 to 1956, and then drawing: from 1959 to 1971 Geldhof published in Spirou, where Simba Lee and Docteur Gladstone appeared. Enrolled in sculpture at the Académie d'Ixelles from 1962, he left comics in the early 1970s. From then on he made animals in plaster, terracotta, bronze or stone carved directly. On the base, a signature in capitals is partly legible: H.J. followed by a name beginning with G, compatible with Geldhof.

Sources
  • Herbert Geldhof, né en 1929 en Belgique et mort en 2007, a été dessinateur pour Spirou de 1959 à 1971 (Simba Lee, Docteur Gladstone) puis s'est consacré à la peinture et à la sculpture au début des années 1970. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/herbert.htm

Condition & restoration

Stated condition
Good condition
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