OSCAR DE CLERCK (Belgian, 1892-1968)

Le Congolais, 1921 Bronze 35 cm high Signed and dated Numbered 3 Le congolais is typical of De Clerck’s work dating the early 1920s. Its purified aesthetic and compact stylised form shows De Clerck as an accomplished Art Deco sculptor. Its strong individual features enhanced by animated lines show him as an Expressionist. After 1935 de Clerck distanced himself from Modernism, moving towards figuration. His decorations for the Belgian Pavilion at the 1938 World Exhibition in New York gave him a following in America.