Jan Fabre
JAN FABRE (Antwerp, Belgium, 1958).
"De man die de wolken meet", 1998.
Bronze sculpture. Exemplary M. P. 7/8.
Signed and numbered on the ruler.
Stamp of Art Casting Belgium.
Attached certificate signed by the artist.
Measurements: 298 x 120 x 80 cm.
"The man who measures the clouds" is a monumental piece that overflows with poetry. It also leads to biographical reflections of the artist himself. The character who "measures the clouds" (who insists on impossible enterprises) is inspired by the artist's brother, who died prematurely. The features coincide with those of the artist, so that in a way the self-portrait merges with the identity of his brother. This sculpture could be seen at the Venice Biennale, 2019 edition. It was visible from the Accademia Bridge, next to the Grand Canal. The first verison he created in 1998, a life-size realistic sculpture, in polished and shiny bronze, of a man standing on a ladder with a ruler in his hand measuring the clouds. In addition to paying homage to his brother's dreamy character, it expresses the feeling of wanting to master the ineffable, which is innate in every artist. As Fabre stated in an interview "The figure symbolizes my craft. The artist's attempt to control things, but it never goes as planned. The artist measures: he establishes connections - mental, physical, political and philosophical relationships. I constantly measure these kinds of relationships, it's my duty as an artist." Ultimately, the title also refers to the Birdman of Alcatraz, who in the movie based on his life, the character played by Burt Lancaster, declares upon his release from prison: "Now I'm going to measure clouds".
Jan Fabre is a playwright, stage director, choreographer and visual artist. He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts in Antwerp and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1976 and 1980 he wrote his first texts for the theater. In 1978 he made drawings with his own blood during the solo performance My Body, My Blood, My Landscape. In 1980 he made the "Bic-Art Room", as an opposition to "Big Art"; he locked himself for three days and three nights in a white cube filled with objects, drawing with blue Bic pens. In 1986 he founded Troubleyn/Jan Fabre, a theater company with extensive international projection. He has been a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium since 1998 and is a Commander of the Order of Leopold II. In 2008, The Angel of Metamorphosis was exhibited at the Louvre Museum, an exhibition inaugurated by Queen Paola of Belgium. He decorated the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace in Brussels, which he called Heaven of Delights, made of 1600,000 beetle-beetle elytra, which has been widely praised. He also made Totem, a sculpture of a giant insect pierced by a huge twenty-three-meter steel spire, at the Ladeuzeplein in Leuven. The sculpture was erected in 2005 to commemorate the 575th anniversary of the historic Leuven University Library.
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JAN FABRE (Antwerp, Belgium, 1958).
"De man die de wolken meet", 1998.
Bronze sculpture. Exemplary M. P. 7/8.
Signed and numbered on the ruler.
Stamp of Art Casting Belgium.
Attached certificate signed by the artist.
Measurements: 298 x 120 x 80 cm.
"The man who measures the clouds" is a monumental piece that overflows with poetry. It also leads to biographical reflections of the artist himself. The character who "measures the clouds" (who insists on impossible enterprises) is inspired by the artist's brother, who died prematurely. The features coincide with those of the artist, so that in a way the self-portrait merges with the identity of his brother. This sculpture could be seen at the Venice Biennale, 2019 edition. It was visible from the Accademia Bridge, next to the Grand Canal. The first verison he created in 1998, a life-size realistic sculpture, in polished and shiny bronze, of a man standing on a ladder with a ruler in his hand measuring the clouds. In addition to paying homage to his brother's dreamy character, it expresses the feeling of wanting to master the ineffable, which is innate in every artist. As Fabre stated in an interview "The figure symbolizes my craft. The artist's attempt to control things, but it never goes as planned. The artist measures: he establishes connections - mental, physical, political and philosophical relationships. I constantly measure these kinds of relationships, it's my duty as an artist." Ultimately, the title also refers to the Birdman of Alcatraz, who in the movie based on his life, the character played by Burt Lancaster, declares upon his release from prison: "Now I'm going to measure clouds".
Jan Fabre is a playwright, stage director, choreographer and visual artist. He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts in Antwerp and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1976 and 1980 he wrote his first texts for the theater. In 1978 he made drawings with his own blood during the solo performance My Body, My Blood, My Landscape. In 1980 he made the "Bic-Art Room", as an opposition to "Big Art"; he locked himself for three days and three nights in a white cube filled with objects, drawing with blue Bic pens. In 1986 he founded Troubleyn/Jan Fabre, a theater company with extensive international projection. He has been a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium since 1998 and is a Commander of the Order of Leopold II. In 2008, The Angel of Metamorphosis was exhibited at the Louvre Museum, an exhibition inaugurated by Queen Paola of Belgium. He decorated the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace in Brussels, which he called Heaven of Delights, made of 1600,000 beetle-beetle elytra, which has been widely praised. He also made Totem, a sculpture of a giant insect pierced by a huge twenty-three-meter steel spire, at the Ladeuzeplein in Leuven. The sculpture was erected in 2005 to commemorate the 575th anniversary of the historic Leuven University Library.
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