Godefroid Devreese

See also: Devreese (homonymy)

Godefroid Devreese is a sculptor and Belgian Médailleur born with Courtrai in 1861 and deceased with Brussels in 1941.

After having begun its formation with the Academy of Coutrai, it settles in Brussels and continues there its formation with the royal Académie of the Art schools of Brussels of 1881 with 1886, having as professors the sculptors Eugene Simonis and Charles Van der Stappen.

In 1884, it settles in Schaerbeek which it will leave only in 1939. It lived there successively Boulevard Lambermont   134, Street Quinaux   7, Street of the Wings   71 and finally Which occurred Huart-Hamoir   27.

He travels much, inter alia in England, Spain, Italy, with the Netherlands and Paris. He becomes famous as sculptor and as medaillor and for this reason takes part in many exposures. Its career is rewarded by many prices and honorary distinctions.

Considered in Belgium as innovator in the art of the medal, it created some more than 400.

Godefroid Devreese takes part with Victor Horta in the realization of several monuments. It is besides Victor Horta who draws the plans of the workshop that Godefroid Devreese with the street of the Wings with Schaerbeek will occupy.

It will carry out many work S of which some are monumental. From his time with Courtrai one will retain the monument of the Eperons of gold . Among other monumental works are remarkable the monument of the Bienfaiteurs in Schaerbeek, the monument Henricot with Short-Saint-Etienne.

He is author of many monuments, statues, fountains and low-reliefs.

He carved moreover a vase bronzes some (the Vase of the Orgies ) located Avenue Louis Bertrand at Schaerbeek, offered to the commune by a patron hennuyer, Raoul Warocqué in compensation of the works destroyed in the fire of the communal Hôtel in 1911.

The commune of Schaerbeek has several works of Godefroid Devreese:

• two external monuments ( Monument of the Benefactors and Vase of the Orgies )
• 25 sculptures whose principal ones are: Country schaerbeekoise - Charity - the Child with duck - Horse saddle - Two children on a bench - the Greyhound - Picador - Maurice Van Ysendijck - Jules Van Ysendijck - Dancers - the Amazon
• 75 medals

Other works are visible in Brussels, among which: the bust of Doctor Depage located at the Saint-Pierre Hospital - the dreams (on the Anspach monument) - the fisherman (with the palate of the Heysel) - sculptures of the house the Horn with the Town square.

A street of Schaerbeek bears its name.