Kobe (artist)

Kobe (pseudonym of Jacques Saelens, (Kortrijk, Belgium 4 September 1950 – Saint-Julien, Var, France, 26 October 2014) was a Belgian visual artist and sculptor.
Early life.
Kobe studied in Belgium, at LUCA School of Arts in Schaerbeek (1969–1974) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Kortrijk (1969–1977), where he discovered the importance of drawing for a sculptor. At the age of 25 he travelled for one year to Central America and South America, where he was greatly taken by the ample forms of generously-endowed local matrons.
His artistic vision was further shaped by many travels in Africa and Asia, where he observed the ancient sculptures. Professionally he was a teacher of sculpture at the Academies of Kortrijk, Deinze and Harelbeke. Around 1992 Kobe started experimenting with flat shapes, which led to a typical style of wide and thin sculptures.
Career.
In 1995 he became an independent sculptor and worked in Pietrasanta (Tuscany, Italy) close to the many bronze foundries and the marble quarries of Carrara.
Artworks.
In the morning Kobe would make sketches or drawings, which he then later elaborated into an artwork.
Kobe's artworks are mostly made in bronze and marble. Two subjects dominate his artworks: the female figure and the horse. Kobe’s female figures are maternal and human, be they fat or thin, and his horses symbols of strength, companionship and connection.
Kobe's most monumental artwork "Arcade" (670 x 630 x 440 cm) is in a private collection in Nova Scotia, Canada, close to the Atlantic Ocean. Other works of art can be found in museums and private collections, among which Beeldengalerij Het Depot and The Phoebus Foundation.