Bronze sculpture “Couple of bears”, HAGER Albert

Superb black patina bronze representing a couple of bears. One of the bears stands up to growl while the other catches the eye of the intruder. Beautiful rendering of the material and the movement. Signed on the terrace.

Size : H 48cm x W 40cm x D 70cm

Belgian school of the beginning of the 20th century.

Lit: Albert Hager is an animal sculptor of German origin, naturalized Belgian after having settled in Uccle with his sister. He studied drawing at the Saint-Gilles Academy with Alfred Cluisenaar. He was appointed professor there in 1893, then director in 1918.

Hager liked to sculpt animals in action. He exhibited “Elephant and Tiger” at the Brussels Salon in 1903, “Tigers” at the Antwerp Triennial in 1920, “Horses on the Run” in 1924 and “Elephant Fight”. He preferred exotic animals, which he probably observed in the Antwerp Zoo. He was especially interested in their movements. Hager also studied dogs. The plaster group ‘Draught Dogs’ was acquired by the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Brussels. He exhibited regularly and participated in international exhibitions of Belgian art (e.g. Bern 1926 and Copenhagen 1931) and organized solo exhibitions.

Works in the Charlier Museum and the Leuven Museum.