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RENÉ JULIEN
(1937 – 2016)
Born in Liège, Belgium, on June 18, 1937, René Julien studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège, where he was appointed professor at the remarkably young age of 23. Among his early achievements were the design of the Fertilizer Pavilion for the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture at Expo 58 in Brussels, a monumental mural for Coca-Cola Brussels, a tapestry for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and numerous other public commissions.
In 1967, he was appointed Director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in Brussels. During this period, he created his first bronze sculptures.
Already established as a painter and sculptor, he expanded his artistic practice in 1970 to include jewellery and sculptural objects, producing tableware and decorative works that were exhibited in Paris, as well as at Galerie Brachot in Brussels and Knokke-Le-Zoute.
A documentary entitled René Julien: His Life and Work was produced in 1977.
In 1980, he created the “Ove des 150 ans”, a commemorative sculpture, objet d’art and jewellery collection celebrating the 150th anniversary of Belgium.
His career was marked by numerous exhibitions, including a one-man show at the Liège Biennale of Contemporary Art, where he received both the City Prize and the Public Prize. During this period, he also completed many important commissions, including works celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a sculpture for the Amnesty International Hall in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
In 1989, he was appointed Inspector to the Visual Arts Commission of the French Community of Belgium.
In 1990, he created the “Danations” series of bronze and silver sculptures. From that year onward, he devoted himself exclusively to sculpture.
His major public works include The Flight of Wallonia, a five-metre high monumental sculpture in Liège; a group of eight female figures adorning the Charlemagne Building of the European Communities in Brussels; Valérie with Hoop at the Château de La Hulpe; the two monumental sculptures The Commuters at Brussels Airport; The Genius of the Royal Galleries, created for the 150th anniversary of the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries in Brussels; and sculptures for the gardens of Beaune, among many others.
His sculptural work has been the subject of the book Around an Awakened Dream (Autour d’un rêve éveillé) and a documentary film The Breath of the Dream (Le souffle du rêve), directed by Gérard Corbiau.