Pierre Berchem was born in 1929 in Limpertsberg, a quarter of Luxembourg’s capital, and passed away in 2019 in Crauthem. While Berchem’s father Leo,’s main profession was in the ARBED, he was also a well-known folklorist and writer. The artist’s grandfather was the acclaimed porcelain painter Antoine Jans, and his grandmother, Barbara Campill, was a first cousin of painter Ferdinand d'Huart.

Berchem attended the Lycée des Arts et Métiers where he studied painting under  Jean-Pierre Calteux, earning a degree in Decorative Arts in 1947, followed by sculpture under Lucien Wercollier and Henri Demuth.  He studied at the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts (ESAHR) in Liège under Marceau Gilllard (1904-1987) and at the Ecole supérieure des arts Saint-Luc Liège (ESA Saint-Luc Liège) under François Delvaux (1887-1978), where he obtained the First Prize with Distinction several times (1949, 52 and 55). These studies were interrupted by a short period at the Académie royale des beaux-arts de Bruxelles (Hanlet, Herr, M.). In the following, Berchem worked in several Parisian sculptors’ studios, such as André Del Debbio (1908-2010) (B.).

As a child more interested in drawing and painting, Berchem began his formal training in these disciplines. They would always remain part of his repertoire despite foremost being known as a sculptor, the latter field allowing him to express his “structural thinking”(M.). His paintings in oil, gouache and aquarelle, his pencil drawings, as well as his objects and sculptures in ceramics, bronze, plaster or cast, are often figurative, showing portraits, human bodies or animal depictions.
Towards the end of the 1970s, Berchem adds abstraction to his oeuvre.

Berchem had regular monographic exhibitions in the Grand Duchy (1958 at Galerie Horn, 1957 and 1961 at Galerie d’Art municipale in Esch/Alzette, several times at Galerie Wierschem between 1960 and 70, at Galerie Bradtké in 1973 and several times at Galerie Le Cadre in the late 1970s) (Herr, Luxemburger Wort). Twice a year, the artist used to turn his studio in Limpertsberg into an exhibition space, welcoming the public for a couple of days to weeks (Neumann-Baumert, Roller). In the 1950s, the artist participated in large international group exhibitions
in Paris (Salon des Indépendants, 1956) and Munich (Internationale Kunsthandwerksausstellung, 1957).

At the age of 21, the artist was chosen to create monuments to commemorate Luxembourg’s deceased of the Second World War, notably in Clausen (1951), Limpertsberg (1954) and Bettel (1959); as well as other commemorative sculptures and plaques in the public space, commissioned by the clergy or municipalities. Furthermore, Berchem created bronze plaque memorials for Luxembourgish personalities such as composer Laurent Menager (1835-1902), and the writers Nicolas Welter (1871-1951) and Batty Weber (B.).

The MNAHA owns several of his busts, reliefs, and gouache paintings (for example “Tête de Tigre”). 

In 1976, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ("Des personnalités de la vie culturelle à l'honneur.").

Contrary to his mostly figurative sculptures and animal paintings, Pierre Roller attests his later works (in the 1980s), above all the two-dimensional ones, to be “more lineal”, “geometric” and of a “cool abstraction” (translated). 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:

B., P. “Pierre Berchem und Antonio Delponte stellen in Esch-Alzette aus.“ Luxemburger Wort 11.03.1961: 17. Print.

Hanlet, H. “Schöpfer mit Hammer und Meißel Der Bildhauer und Maler Pierre Berchem.“ Revue 19.05.1973: 48-51. Print.

Herr, Lambert. Anthologie des Arts Au Luxembourg. Luxembourg : Éditions Émile Borschette, 1992, 24. Print.

M., N. “Die Revue interviewt den jungen Bildhauer Pierre Berchem.“ Revue 06.09.1952: 14-15. Print.

N.N. “Des personnalités de la vie culturelle à l’honneur.“ Luxemburger Wort 25.06.1976: 10. Print.

N.N. "Peinture de Pierre Berchem." Luxemburger Wort, 28.04.1977: 4.

N.N. "Dessin au crayon de Pierre Berchem." Luxemburger Wort, 06.06.1978: 4.
Neumann-Baumert, Elly. „En feuilletant l’Album Pierre Berchem.“ Luxemburger Wort 28.11.1978: 4. Print.

Roller, Pierre. “Des huiles et des sculptures abstraites.“ Luxemburger Wort 02.04.1980: 4. Print.