Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, Modified: yes, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège
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ID: POL-001370-P/135063

Monument to Jean Goel in Liège

ID: POL-001370-P/135063

Monument to Jean Goel in Liège

In a meadow of the municipal park in Embourg, near the public school and the Maison Communale, four dark grey stele have been set up, giving the impression of being very fragile - they are thin and tall, with overcutting in many places, resembling wings. On each of them are engraved quotations from Gol's speeches, making up his moral and social message.

Jean Gol (1942-1995), who came from a family with Polish-Jewish roots, was one of the most active Belgian politicians of the late twentieth century, a lawyer, initiator of parliamentary reforms, MP and minister, having come out of radical left-wing circles, later moving to liberal positions. In 1994, he became an MEP for the Walloon Liberals. After his death, the Jean-Gol Centre, an international centre for the study of liberalism, was set up in Liège. Jakubowska made a small model of the monument in stone in 1996, winning first prize in a competition. The sculptor formulated a similar concept in an unrealised monument to the singer Jacques Brel: also several thin stone stelae bear engraved quotations from his songs. Vertically drawn out, sometimes at the limit of material possibilities, the thin forms in stone are a favourite motif of her entire oeuvre, and are often rhythmically juxtaposed in pairs or ensembles. In the Gola monument, the smooth surfaces of the stele (on the side of the quotations) and the obverses, sharply treated, incised, almost wound, are also interestingly contrasted - a solution Jakubowska also uses more than once. The sculptor has realised several other spatial works in the Liège agglomeration, the largest and best-known of which is the large fountain in the city's central square, Place Saint-Lambert. Sculpture in public space and monuments - also in other Belgian cities - have, moreover, contributed to the growing popularity of the artist of Polish origin.

Related persons:

Time of construction:

1998

Bibliography:

  • www.halinka-jakubowska.be
  • „Zmysłowy kamień”, scen. i reż. W. Namysł-Hasińska, reportaż TV Polonia, 2005

Publication:

27.08.2023

Last updated:

26.10.2025

Author:

prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
see more Text translated automatically
Four dark gray stone steles with engraved quotes from Jean Gol, located in a park in Embourg. The steles are thin, tall, and appear fragile, resembling wings. Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège Gallery of the object +4
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
Four tall, thin, dark grey steles with rough, jagged edges stand in a row on a grassy area in the park, surrounded by trees. Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège Gallery of the object +4
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
Four tall, thin, dark grey stele with inscriptions stand on a grassy area in the park. The stele have frayed edges and are engraved with quotes by Jean Goel. Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège Gallery of the object +4
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
Four dark grey stone stele in a park in Embourg, resembling wings with engraved quotes by Jean Goel. The steles are thin, tall and appear fragile against the backdrop of green trees. Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège Gallery of the object +4
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.
Close-up of a dark grey stone stele with rough textured surfaces and sharp incisions, part of the Jean Goel monument in a park in Embourg. Grass and trees in the background. Photo showing Monument to Jean Goel in Liège Gallery of the object +4
Halinka Jakubowska, monument to Jean Goel, 1998, granite, Liège, suburb of Embourg, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2013 r.

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