ABSTRACT
The relations between the two largest Academies, Brussels and Antwerp, and their place within the national art scene fluctuated throughout the nineteenth century. The development in favor of the Brussels students was by no means coincidental, but most likely instigated by several measures originating both from in and outside the Academy. The measures to reorganize the sculpture class in Brussels, since its first restructuring dating from 1835, were taken in 1862. The reorganization was effectuated and Simonis educated numerous sculptors in his main class of sculpture at the Brussels Academy. Furthermore, the student registers from the Brussels Academy demonstrate that the different sculpture classes also housed some foreign students. Compared to the Brussels Academy, the Antwerp sculpture class counted a similar number of foreign students, often from the same countries, namely the Netherlands and France. In addition to the academic trajectory, the private studio remained an important part of the education of sculptors.
