Jean CANNEEL (1889-1963) Histoire du Congo, very large art deco bas relief, glazed plaster, cracked, wooden frame, signed lower right, +/- 144 x 70 cm. Note: Jean Canneel (1889-1969) was a Belgian realist sculptor whose work gradually evolved towards cubism and expressionism, while retaining a monumental sobriety and a keen sense of synthesis and contour. Born into a family of artists from Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, he trained at the Académie de Bruxelles with Charles Van Der Stappen and Victor Rousseau, and very early on won several prizes that took him to Italy. After the First World War, he developed a style that was both realistic and expressive, with formal rigour and restrained emotion. His stay in the Belgian Congo (1957) marked an important stage in his career: he created the monument to Leopold II in Luluabourg, a bronze bust of Queen Elisabeth in Kilo-Moto, and several commemorative works in Matadi, demonstrating the international scope of his art and his ability to adapt to official commissions in a colonial context. In Belgium, his works include the monument to the Lanciers in Spa, L'Été au parc du Cinquantenaire, the Memorial to the Doctors of the Hôpital Saint-Pierre, as well as monumental sculptures and bas-reliefs in Brussels and Gembloux. His works are held in a number of museums, including Ixelles, Kaunas, Riga and Tallin, confirming his influence beyond Belgium's borders.