Jef Geys

Jef Geys was renowned for his diverse artistic pursuits, which encompassed photography, painting, sculpture, films, installation art, publishing ventures, and innovative approaches to art education.

Biography of Jef Geys

Jef Geys was born in 1939 in Leopoldsburg in Belgium. Geys spent his formative years in Faytlaan, Leopoldsburg, and received his education at the Brothers of Love school. He furthered his studies at the Academy of Antwerp under the guidance of Piet Serneels, Maclot, Dolphyn, and Strebelle.

After obtaining a teaching diploma from the state school of Hasselt, he began his teaching career in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. In 1960, Geys was appointed as a Teacher of Positive Aesthetics at a children's school in Balen, a position he held until 1989.

Geys is renowned for the potent social and political themes woven into his art. One of his most notable acts was when, after his solo exhibition at the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (KMSKA) in 1971, he proposed to blow up the venue.

Exhibitions featured Geys' works were held at various venues and galleries, including Orchard Gallery in New York, Pori Art Museum in Pori, Galerie Meert-Rihoux in Brussels, Middelheim in Antwerp, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. 

Additionally, the artist participated in Documenta 11 in Kassel (2002) and São Paulo Biennial (1991). 

Jef Geys' Art Style

Throughout his life, Jef Geys pursued a diverse and intricate body of work that challenges the notion of art as autonomous. His oeuvre offers a critical examination of the art-making process, serving as a conduit for the transfer of knowledge through everyday objects and images sourced from his immediate environment and distributed using locally accessible methods. By experimenting with his identity, he frequently sought to infiltrate unconventional settings with his work. Geys questioned the societal value and status of art, as well as the roles of institutions and artists, actively subverting and reversing established hierarchies.