The Flemish artist George Minne is regarded as the leading symbolist sculptor of his country. He was also one of the key figures of the first group of artists to settle in the village of Sint-Martens-Latem in 1898. Initially Minne studied architecture at the Academy in Ghent but later applied himself to drawing and sculpture. His first works based on the theme ‘mother and child’ stem from the Latem period: splendid, religiously inspired drawings with swirling movements, and sculptures in an angular, rigorous style. Thereafter he developed a more realistic idiom. Typical of Minne’s work are the elongated figures, a calm, introverted, occasionally dramatic, expression, and meticulous finish.