Lucien Wercollier was born in Luxembourg city in 1908. His father, Jean-Baptiste Wercollier, was a sculptor and art education teacher, while his uncle, Jean-Pierre Koenig, was a well-known architect in Luxembourg. The young Lucien thus grew up in a family environment where art and architecture were often discussed. Following in his father’s footsteps, he trained as a sculptor at L’École d’artisans de l’État in Luxembourg city (today the Lycée des Arts et Métiers) between 1924 and 1927. After studying at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (1927–1931) and at the l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1931–1933), his curiosity, like that of many during the first half of the 20th century, grew.
From an fascination with Aristide Maillol, his interest transitioned towards the more radical abstraction of masters such as Constantin Brâncuși and Jean Arp, a style he truly embraced between 1952 and 1955. Like his role models, Wercollier would favour natural materials and monumental scales. Wood, stone, bronze, marble, alabaster and onyx have all been carved and curved by the hands and tools of this sculptor.
Even if today Wercollier’s sculptures can be seen in public spaces across Europe, the artist had to fight for recognition during the troubled period of the Second World War. Indeed, in 1940, he refused to join the cultural chamber (Kulturkammer) of the Nazi regime, an organisation whose aim was the political and ideological supervision of all artistic activity. This refusal led to him losing the right to present his works to the public.
On 1 September 1942, following his participation in the spontaneous strike movement against the forced enlistment of four Luxembourg age groups (1920–1924) in the German army, Lucien Wercollier was arrested and his wife and their two infants were deported to a camp in Silesia. After two weeks of incarceration in the Luxembourg Grund prison (from 4 to 19 September 1942), Wercollier was transferred to the Hinzert (Germany) and then Lublin (Poland) concentration camps. In 1943, he joined his wife and two children in the deportation camp in Silesia.
Fortunately, he and his family returned safely to Luxembourg and his works of art have been erected all around Europe. One of his best-known works is The Political Prisoner, which is installed in Hinzert’s cemetery. His bronze Interpenetration sculpture stands in front of the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. This sculpture featured on Luxembourg’s eight-franc postage stamp in 1974. Altius – a tribute to the sport of pole vaulting – was displayed in the sculpture garden at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Another well-known sculpture is his marble monument La Vague, located on the grounds of the Centre hospitalier neuro-psychiatrique (neuro-psychiatric hosptial) in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg.
During his lifetime, Wercollier held exhibitions at: the Maison du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, Brussels, Belgium (2001); Arsenal, Metz, France (1999); the Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, Luxembourg city, Luxembourg (1995); the Electoral Palace, Trier, Germany (1986); Galerie Beaumont, Luxembourg city, Luxembourg (1985); the Musée national d’histoire et d’art, Luxembourg city, Luxembourg (retrospective, 1983); Galerie Kutter, Luxembourg city, Luxembourg; the Musée de la Ville, Metz, France (retrospective, 1980); the Escher Theater, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (retrospective, 1979); the Saarland Museum, Saarbrücken, Germany (retrospective, 1977); Galerie Roque, Paris, France (1976); the Palais des Arts et de la culture, Brest, France (retrospective, 1975); Galerie Municipale, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (1972); Galerie Villand et Galanis, Paris, France (1967).
