Keustermans (Ja ke) Jan Alfons

Jan Keustermans (pseudonym JaKe) is a Belgian artist, born in Hoboken in 1940. He is a sculptor, designer of medals and coins, draughtsman and pastellist. He received his training at the Academy (1957–1964) and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp (1964). He acquired technical skills by working with tombstone makers, as a building restorer and as a woodcarver. In 1969 he established himself as an independent sculptor. He carves his sculptures directly from stone. His works are mostly figurative and are defined by a search for a primordial form. His drawings can be considered as designs or projects for sculptures. In his early period he produced much religious work, executed in various types of wood. He subsequently also worked in plaster, clay, polyester, bronze, stone, marble and bluestone. He later found his inspiration mainly in the human figure and the female nude. He employs a figurative and monumental formal language. He also produces abstract forms which he calls memorial stones. From the press: "His nude figures breathe a mysterious calm." He collaborated in the restoration of the façades of the town hall in Antwerp. He designed a sculpture for the pond of the town hall in Mortsel (1966), the Pallieter Monument for the city of Lier (1985), and Muze in Sint-Niklaas. Since 1982, he has been the author of more than 1000 medals and tokens, including bronze plaques with the portraits of Albert II and Paola (silver jubilee). In 1994, his portrait of Albert II was selected to appear on Belgian coins; in 1997, he designed the Belgian side of the euro coins. He signs his smaller works Jake. He was a teacher of sculpture (1971–1986) and director (1987–2000) at the Academy in Turnhout. He was active in Oelegem. He is listed in Sculpture in Belgium since 1830 (Engelen-Marx, 2002), BAS II and Two Centuries of Signatures of Belgian Artists. (Piron)