Albert Poels (1903-1984)

Albert Poels (1903-1984)
"La famille", 1955
Plaster
Measurements: 220 x 99 cm.

Poels' "La famille" is a large plaster sculpture that solemnly represents the family unit; the composition shows four figures arranged with accentuated verticality in a common gesture of protection. In the upper part there are two upright male figures whose arms are intertwined. Below them, in the foreground, a female figure kneels, tenderly holding a child in her lap. The vertical arrangement of the bodies reinforces the idea of continuity between the different generations.

Poels' stylistic treatment is characterized by solid volumes and faces of restrained expression, which gives the whole a strong symbolism.

Albert Poels was a Belgian sculptor from Antwerp, as well as a medalist and jewelry designer, raised in a family of artists. He learned his trade from his father, Jan Poels, who worked as an ornamentist in the Statiestraat in Berchem. He later studied at the academies of Berchem and Antwerp, and also at the city's Higher National Institute of Fine Arts.

Poels became especially known for his sculptures of animals, mirrors with owls, figures inspired by literature and folklore, portraits of artists, religious images, tombstones and monuments. In the center of Antwerp you can still see many of his virgins decorating the facades of houses.