Frans Jochems

Information on Frans Jochems, a Belgian sculptor working in the first half of the twentieth century, is relatively scarce. He was a member of the Antwerp School of animalier artists, working with Italian sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti. Like other artists in this group, he worked from close observation of models at the Antwerp Zoological Gardens', one of the foremost collections of animals from all continents at the time. Like his mentor, Bugatti, he chose to depict his animal subjects in contemplative poses that are suggestive of their inner character.