Design for the Medal: The Future

Like Constant Permeke, Frits Van den Berghe and Gustave De Smet, the sculptor and engraver Jozef Cantré (1886-1952) studied at the Ghent Academy. Initially, Cantré's sculptures show the influence of George Minne and Constantin Meunier. From 1918 to 1930, Cantré stays in exile in the Netherlands (Blaricum and Oosterwijk). He worked there in 'taille directe', directly in wood or stone, in a constructive expressionist style. In 1930 he returned to Belgium and settled near Ghent. Influenced by the general neorealist trend in the years before the Second World War, Cantré evolved towards a synthesis between geometric simplification and dynamic realism. On this plaster medal, a man is depicted with a large hammer resting on his shoulder. He holds his hand above his eyes to peer into the distance.