The Prix Godecharle (Dutch; Flemish: '''Godecharleprijs'''|italic=no), also known in English as 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 prize allows young talents, unknown before the award, to become recognized by a panel of experts made up of famous artists. 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. The renown of the contest is based, amongst other things, upon the reputation of the artists who sit on the jury.
Napoléon Godecharle created the Godecharle Foundation on 15 March 1871 in remembrance of his father, the prominent sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle, with the aim of promoting the education and the career of young Belgian artists, either sculptors, painters or architects. To this end, the Prix Godecharle is organized by the foundation every other year. 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 the jury of renowned artists.
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, 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.
Many famous painters, sculptors and architects of these last hundred years have accepted to be members of the contest's jury.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] [4]
The laureates of the Prix Godecharle from 1881 to the present:
| Year | Sculpture | Painting | Architecture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | Eugène Broerman | |||
| 1884 | Paul Du Bois | Guillaume Van Strydonck | ||
| 1887 | Égide Rombeaux | José Dierickx | Michel De Braey | |
| 1890 | Victor Rousseau | Auguste Leveque | Adolphe Kockerols | |
| 1893 | Adolphe Wansart | |||
| 1894 | Ernest Wante and Eduard Van Esbroeck | Émile Lambot | ||
| 1897 | Alfred Bastien | |||
| 1900 | Paul Nocquet | Philippe Swyncop and Paul Artot | Paul Bonduelle | |
| 1903 | Charles De Brichy | Isidore_Opsomer | Joseph Van Neck | |
| 1907 | Charles Collard | Pol Berger | ||
| 1910 | Marnix d'Haveloose | Pol Vandebroek | Arthur Smet | |
| 1913 | Alfred Courtens | François Pycke | Jean Hendrickx | |
| 1921 | Éliane de Meuse (first woman to win the prize)[5] | |||
| 1924 | John Cluysenaar | Léon Navez | Antoine Courtens | |
| 1926 | Jeanne Louise Milde[6] | |||
| 1928 | Fernand Debonnaires | Victor Maeremans | ||
| 1931 | Peter Colfs and Maurice Schelck | |||
| 1933 | Pol Van Esbroeck | Jean Vander Loo | ||
| 1935 | Geert Reusens | Emile Demey and Renaat Braem | ||
| 1937 | Georges Lambeau | |||
| 1939 | Elisabeth Barmarin | Gustave Camus | ||
| 1941 | Albert Baisieux | Luc Peire | ||
| 1943 | Maurits Van Saene | Clara Bourgonjon | ||
| 1945 | ||||
| 1947 | André Hupet | |||
| 1949 | Jacques Lussie | |||
| 1951 | Robert Coolen | |||
| 1953 | ||||
| 1955 | Christian Leroy | |||
| 1957 | Jean-Pierre Ghysels | Jacqueline Desmare | Jean Wilfart | |
| 1959 | Pol Spilliaert | |||
| 1961 | Frans Van Den Brande | Solange François | Jean-Pierre Santenois | |
| 1963 | Karel Dierickx | |||
| 1965 | ||||
| 1967 | Nathalie Van Lierde | |||
| 1969 | Christine Teller | Johan Baele | ||
| 1971 | Wim Mortelmans and Jean-Claude Herman | |||
| 1973 | Christian Rolet | Claude Leveque | ||
| 1975 | Marianne Dock | Luke Vanhooren | ||
| 1977 | Olivier Leloup | Jacques 't Kindt | ||
| 1979 | Eddy Walrave | Herman Maes | Paul Robbrecht | |
| 1981 | Tom Frantzen | Christian Kieckens | ||
| 1983 | Vincent Rouseau and Lucie Sentjens | Barthel Ritzen | ||
| 1985 | Bart Decq | Elsje Lemaire | Luc Van De Steene | |
| 1987 | Louis Halleux | Daniel Colin | ||
| 1989 | Bart De Zutter | Gery De Smet | ||
| 1991 | Sven 't Jolle | Nico De Gughtenaere | ||
| 1993 | Robin Vokaer | Stefan Annerel | Nathalie Vervenne | |
| 1995 | Alexandra Jacquet | Yves Lecomte | ||
| 1997 | Christina Van Glabeke, Mario Ferretti (mention) | Katleen Vermeir, Xavier Martin (mention) | Peter Swinnken, Pierre Lemaire (mention) | |
| 1999 | Alexis Remacle | Sarah Walraet | Pierre Lemaire | |
| 2001 | Thijs Snauwaert | Vincent Callebaut and Caroline Voet | ||
| 2003 | Denis Mahin | Stephan Balleux, Baptiste Colmant (mention), Vasken Mardikian (mention) | Leonard Gellegos, Evelyne Hamblok (mention), Cedric Libert (mention), Olivier Mylle(mention) | |
| 2005 | Nick Ervinck, Cathy Weyders (mention) | Boris Thiebaut, Chiel Lambrecht (mention), Vincent Verscheure (mention) | Pieter D'Haeseleer | |
| 2007 | Marie Zolamian | Kelly Hendriks | ||
| 2009 | Steve Dehoux | Anna-Maija Rissanen | Chloé Dewolf | |
| 2011 | Caroline de Sauvage | Lucie Flamant | Axel Clissen | |
| 2013 | Steven Schenk | |||
| 2015 | Ronja Schlickmann | Hadrien Bruyaux | Evelyne Baeten | |
| 2017 | Conrad Willems | Charlotte Flamand | Wouter Verstraete | |
| 2022 | Cente Van Hout, Tomás Barberá Ramallo (mention) |