Prix Godecharle


The Godecharle prize or the Godecharle contest is a contest for art students, the winners of which are granted a scholarship allocated by the Godecharle Foundation. The conditions for participation are that contestants are less than 35 years old, of Belgian nationality, or members of a country of the European Community who have lived in Belgium for at least five years.
Napoléon Godecharle created the Godecharle Foundation on the 15th of March 1871 in remembrance of his father, the prominent sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle and with the aim of promoting the education and the career of young Belgian artists, either sculptors, painters or architects.
To this end, the Godecharle foundation organizes every other year a contest better-known under its French name, the Prix Godecharle.
The prize allows young talents, unknown before the award, to become recognized by a panel of experts made up of famous artists. The renown of the contest is based, amongst other things, upon the reputation of the artists who sit on the jury.
The foundation has entrusted a provincial board, the so-called Commission provinciale des Fondations de bourses d’études du Brabant with the management of the contest and the follow-up exhibitions of the works of participants.
The Godecharle bursaries are allocated by this board, on proposals made up by a jury of renowned artists.

The contest

The first contest was organized in 1881. At the start, the competition took place every three years on the occasion of the Salons triennaux des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles in Belgium. Because of the First World War, the contest was adjourned until 1921. Since 1933, it is held every two years.
The laureates win prize money of 5,000 euros, granted in two instalments over two years. In accordance with its founder’s wishes, the winners have to spend this money on travelling abroad in order to improve their education or to conduct research, traditionally in Italy, the ceaseless return to Renaissance sources.

The jury

Many famous painters, sculptors and architects of these last hundred years have accepted to be members of the jury of the Godecharle contest.
Some of them are internationally recognized, including Emile Claus, Paul Delvaux, Léon Frédéric, Fernand Khnopff, Constant Permeke, Jean Brusselmans, Louis Van Lint, Victor Bourgeois, and Pierre Alechinsky.
The successful careers of some of the winners also boosted the renown of this contest. These winners included personalities such as Victor Horta, Egide Rombaux, Victor Rousseau, John Cluysenaar, Tom Frantzen, Olivier Leloup, Guillaume Van Strydonck, Éliane de Meuse, Taf Wallet, Alfred Bastien and Isidore Opsomer.
A significant milestone in the history of the contest was the first grant of the prize to a female sculptor in 1921. The winner Éliane de Meuse was only twenty-two years old when she won the prize. and the awarding panel comprised the Belgian symbolist Alberto Ciamberlani, Armand Rassenfosse and the Belgian neo-impressionist Emile Claus. The winning work, entitled Daphnis et Chloé was of an impressive size, i.e. 225 cm by 180 cm, and depicted a naked young couple in an embrace. In his report to the Minister, the chairman of the panel highlighted the stylistic qualities of the composition.

The laureates

The laureates of the Prix Godecharle from 1881 to the present.
YearSculpturePaintingArchitecture
1881Eugène Broerman
1884Paul Du BoisGuillaume Van StrydonckVictor Horta
1887Égide RombeauxJosé DierickxMichel De Braey
1890Victor RousseauAuguste LevequeAdolphe Kockerols
1894Ernest Wante and Eduard Van EsbroeckÉmile Lambot
1897Edward Deckers and Jacques MarinAlfred Bastien
1900Paul NocquetPhilippe SwyncopPaul Bonduelle
1903Charles De BrichyIsidore_OpsomerJoseph Van Neck
1907Charles CollardJoe EnglishPol Berger
1910Marnix d'HaveloosePol VandebroekArthur Smet
1913Alfred CourtensFrançois PyckeJean Hendrickx
1921Éliane de Meuse was the first woman to win the Godecharle Prize
1924John CluysenaarLéon NavezAntoine Courtens
1926Jeanne Louise Milde
1928Fernand DebonnairesTaf WalletVictor Maeremans
1931Peter Colfs and Maurice Schelck
1933Pol Van EsbroeckJean Vander Loo
1935Geert ReusensEmile Demey and Renaat Braem
1937Georges Lambeau
1939Elisabeth BarmarinGustave Camus
1941Albert BaisieuxLuc Peire
1943Lode EyckermansMaurits Van SaeneClara Bourgonjon
1945
1947André Hupet
1949Rik PootJacques Lussie
1951Robert Coolen
1953
1955Christian Leroy
1957Jean-Pierre GhyselsJacqueline DesmareJean Wilfart
1959Pol Spilliaert
1961Frans Van Den BrandeSolange FrançoisJean-Pierre Santenois
1963Karel Dierickx
1965
1967Nathalie Van Lierde
1969Christine TellerJohan Baele
1971Wim Mortelmans and Jean-Claude Herman
1973Christian RoletClaude Leveque
1975Marianne DockLuke Vanhooren
1977Olivier LeloupJacques 't Kindt
1979Eddy WalraveHerman MaesPaul Robbrecht
1981Tom FrantzenChristian Kieckens
1983Vincent Rouseau and Lucie SentjensBarthel Ritzen
1985Bart DecqElsje LemaireLuc Van De Steene
1987Louis HalleuxDaniel Colin
1989Bart De ZutterGery De SmetMartine De Maeseneer
1991Sven 't JolleNico De Gughtenaere
1993Robin VokaerStefan AnnerelNathalie Vervenne
1995Alexandra JacquetYves Lecomte
1997Christina Van Glabeke, Mario Ferretti Katleen Vermeir, Xavier Martin Peter Swinnken, Pierre Lemaire
1999Alexis RemacleSarah WalraetPierre Lemaire
2001Thijs SnauwaertVincent Callebaut and Caroline Voet
2003Denis MahinStephan Balleux, Baptiste Colmant, Vasken Mardikian Leonard Gellegos, Evelyne Hamblok, Cedric Libert, Olivier Mylle
2005Nick Ervinck, Cathy Weyders Boris Thiebaut, Chiel Lambrecht, Vincent Verscheure Pieter D'Haeseleer
2007Marie ZolamianKelly Hendriks
2009Steve DehouxAnna-Maija RissanenChloé Dewolf
2011Caroline de SauvageLucie FlamantAxel Clissen
2013Nel BontePierre MaurcotSteven Schenk
2015Ronja SchlickmannHadrien BruyauxEvelyne Baeten
2017Conrad WillemsCharlotte FlamandWouter Verstraete