Fanny Geefs

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Self-portrait by Fanny Geefs (1841)

Isabelle Marie Françoise (Fanny) Geefs-Corr (born May 2, 1807 in Brussels , † January 23, 1883 in Schaerbeek ) was a Belgian painter .

Life

Fanny Geefs was a daughter of Mathieu Corr (1776-1853) and Monique Landy. Her parents came from Ireland and had settled in Brussels in 1802, where they opened a luxury shoe shop for "bespoke boots". Fanny Geefs married the sculptor Guillaume (Wilhelm) Geefs (September 10, 1805– January 19, 1883), a brother of Joseph Geefs , in 1836 .

Fanny Geefs was a student of François-Joseph Navez . Her works include several portraits, including some of the first queen of the Belgians, Louise de Orléans .

Also known is the picture (from around 1846) of the family of Count Ferdinand de Meeûs and the Countess with their eleven children, which the family took in front of their first castle, Château d'Argenteuil in Ohain in the municipality of Lasne in the French-speaking province of Walloon Brabant shows. The castle burned down completely on January 10, 1847. The picture is - besides a painting depicting the fire - the only source of information about the intact exterior of the property. The family portrait is signed Fi Geefs .

She made a drawing of the statue that her husband Guillaume Geefs of Leopold I of Belgium created for the congress column , after which her brother Erin Corr made a print.

In addition to portrait painting, she also painted religious and historical scenes. The picture “The Mother of God Appears to the Oppressed” hangs in the Church of the Holy Family in Schaerbeek.

A Woman's Life: Pity - Love - Sorrow by Fanny Geefs

Her triptych “A Woman's Life: Compassion - Love - Sorrow” influenced Charlotte Brontë , especially her autobiographical novel Villette , which is set in Brussels.

Geefs presented u. a. in the Paris Salon . Your work has received several awards. In 1845 she became an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels . The Dutch poet Johannes Immerzeel Jr. writes about her: (She) " undeniably takes the first place among the artists of her time ."

Fanny Geefs had several siblings. Her brother Michel Corr (born 1801; also: Michael Corr van der Maeren or Michel Corr-Vandermaeren) was one of the investors who helped to finance the construction of the Shamrock colliery in Herne in the founding year of 1856 by William Thomas Mulvany .

Fanny Geefs died at the age of 75, four days after her husband.

After her death, the Royal Library of Belgium acquired most of her works, including her sketchbooks with around five hundred sketches.

Web links

Commons : Fanny Geefs  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ rijksmuseum.nl
  2. ↑ Immerzeel, J. GEEFS (ISABELLE MARIE FRANÇOISE) in De Levens en works of the Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouwers, graveurs en bouwmeesters van het begin the 15de tot op de helft der 19de eeuw . Amsterdam, 1842-1843.
personal data
SURNAME Geefs, Fanny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Geefs, Isabelle Marie Françoise (full name); Corr, Isabelle Marie Françoise (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian painter
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Brussels
DATE OF DEATH January 23, 1883
Place of death Schaerbeek