NELSON, Anton

Antoine Joseph Van Der Kerckhove (also known as Antoine Joseph Nelson van den Kerckhove or under the artistic pseudonym Anton Nelson) was a Belgian sculptor born in Brussels on May 13, 1849, and died after 1910. Coming from a family with a sculptural tradition, he was the son of sculptor Augustin Van den Kerckhove. He initially trained with his father and continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He produced realistic figurative works in bronze, marble, stone, and ivory, ranging from civic monuments and historical or allegorical themes to elegant Art Nouveau busts (frequently signed under the pseudonym "Nelson" or "Ant. Nelson"). Starting in 1890, he established his residence and main studio in Paris, while alternating work stays in London. He participated in important international exhibitions, such as the Antwerp Universal Exhibition in 1885. He is the author of historical statues and reliefs such as those of Charles Martel and Pépin de Herstal (1884), as well as the low reliefs Duel de la Place Verte and Assassinat de Sébastien La Ruelle located in the Palace of the Prince-Bishops of Liège. The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium house such characteristic pieces of his as the bronze portraits of sculptors Sébastien Slodtz and Lucas Faydherbe (1882).