Sculpture "Bijou Small", bronze

Sculpture in fine bronze, patinated, cast by hand using the Lost-Wax-Process. Limited edition of 75 copies, numbered and signed, with certificate. Size 17.5 x 17 x 12 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 3 kg.

Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]

A black-and-white photograph of the Belgian artist and sculptor Guido Deleu standing next to his famous sculpture, *The Visitor*.

About Guido Deleu

1932-2025

The Belgian artist Guido Deleu combined technical expertise with artistic clarity. After his career as a civil engineer, he devoted himself entirely to sculpture. His training began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Roeselare and continued in Carrara, Italy, with intensive workshops on marble processing. His works in bronze and ceramics are distinguished by a reduced artistic form concept, timeless elegance, and harmonious proportions.

The artist passed away in April 2025.

An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times. It is an ideal metal for high-quality artistic castings, capable of enduring for millennia.

When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. This is the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.

First, the artist forms a model of their work. This model is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out, leaving a negative mould. Liquid wax is then poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, where the wax melts away (lost mould).

Finally, the negative mould is ready, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken apart, reavoling the sculpture.

Next, the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist or by a specialist, following their instructions. Thus, each casting is an original work.

For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used, which, however, does not achieve the results of a more elaborate lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.

> Bronze sculptures

Term for an art object (sculpture, installation) that, according to the artist’s intention, is produced in multiple copies within a limited and numbered edition.

Multiples enable the "democratization" of art by making the work accessible and affordable for a wider audience.

A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.

While sculptures made of wood, ivory, or stone are carved directly from the material block, in bronze casting, a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.

The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.