Willy Kreitz – Small Head With A Bun, Signed Bronze, 1936 Model

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This bronze head of a woman, signed by the Belgian sculptor Willy Kreitz (1903–1982), features a warm brown patina. The catalog raisonné lists the work under the title Kleine vrouwenkop met haarwrong (Small Head with a Bun) and dates the model to 1936. The authors suggest that it may be a portrait of Madame De Liedekerke.

Viewed from the front, the face has a serene expression, with a slender nose and closed lips. In profile, the long, cylindrical neck and the low bun stand out clearly. The hair, parted down the middle, is swept back on both sides. Its lively modeling contrasts with the smooth surfaces of the face. The signature “W KREITZ” appears at the bottom right of the neck, just above the lower edge. A base can be attached to the sculpture if desired.

Willy Kreitz was a sculptor and painter. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, then at the National Higher Institute. In 1932, he won the Grand Prix de Rome. The National Monument to Sailors in Ostend is among his best-known works. In this sculpture, he combines the serenity of classical portraiture with simple, flowing forms.

This bronze head is listed as No. 94b in the catalogue raisonné, which lists the Kreitz family as the owner. The red-painted plaster model, used to cast the bronze, is illustrated under no. 94a. Both entries appear on page 123. This is a unique piece with an excellent provenance, which until recently remained in the possession of the Kreitz family.

The model was exhibited at the Galerie Georges Giroux in Brussels (1936), at the Rotterdamsche Kunstkring (1939), at the ’t Getij exhibition (1939), at the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt (1941), at the Breckpot Gallery in Antwerp (1943), and at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (1943). This piece was exhibited at the 15th Sculpture Triennial in Antwerp-Berchem in 2022.

Height 20.5 cm
Width 12 cm
Depth 14 cm
Weight 3,678 g

Bibliography — Antoon van Ruyssevelt and Marc Somers, Willy Kreitz 1903–1982. Classical and Modernist Sculptor, Archief en Museum voor het Vlaamse Cultuurleven (AMVC), Antwerp, 1998, p. 123, no. 94b.

Thank you for your interest. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the sculpture or to request additional photographs.

Best regards,
Ben Muller
La Trésorerie Antiques