Online auction · 7–17 February 2026
Two iconic works. One extraordinary opportunity.
Museum-grade sculptures by one of Europe’s most influential contemporary artists.
For the first time in years, two museum-quality sculptures by Jan Fabre are being auctioned together, including a rare edition of The Man Who Measures the Clouds (API/IV). A unique opportunity for collectors, connoisseurs, and enthusiasts.
Online auction · 7–17 February 2026
Two iconic works. One extraordinary opportunity.
Museum-grade sculptures by one of Europe’s most influential contemporary artists
For the first time in years, two museum-quality sculptures by Jan Fabre are being auctioned together, including a rare edition of *The Man Who Measures the Clouds*. A unique opportunity for collectors, connoisseurs, and enthusiasts.
The man who measures the clouds
A man on a ladder, reaching for the clouds — not to measure them, but to honor the unreachable. Discover the story behind Jan Fabre’s gleaming bronze tribute to the artist’s eternal pursuit.
Le garçon qui porte la lune et l’étoile sur sa tête
With a star and moon balanced on his head, this sculpture embodies the poetry of dreaming. This work is a symbol of youthful wonder, spiritual journey, and the eternal attempt to carry the incomprehensible.
The Man Who Measures the Clouds
A sculpture that attempts to capture the immeasurable
Reaching out to the clouds with outstretched arms from the top of a stepladder, in an attempt to measure something as fleeting as the clouds, is a profoundly utopian gesture. It serves as a metaphor for everyone who, like Fabre, other artists, philosophers and scientists, strives for higher goals that are often considered beyond reach.
The Man Who Measures the Clouds is a tribute to Fabre’s late brother Emile. For parts of the sculpture, including the head and hands, Fabre used casts of his own body. At the same time, he incorporated the facial likeness of Emile, reconstructed from a childhood photograph that was digitally aged. This makes the work both deeply personal and universal.
The work invites reflection on our human tendency to measure, understand and control, and about our eternal confrontation with the intangible.
This specific piece, titled The Man Who Measures the Clouds (American version, 18 years older), dates from 2016 and was cast in silicon bronze. It is Artist Proof I/IV and measures 283 x 150 x 80 cm. The work is signed and comes with an official certificate by Jan Fabre (Antwerp, 2019).
Other versions are held in museum collections in, among others, Ghent, Kanazawa and San Francisco.
The Man Who Measures the Clouds
A sculpture that attempts to capture the immeasurable
Reaching out to the clouds with outstretched arms from the top of a stepladder, in an attempt to measure something as fleeting as the clouds, is a profoundly utopian gesture. It serves as a metaphor for everyone who, like Fabre, other artists, philosophers and scientists, strives for higher goals that are often considered beyond reach.
The Man Who Measures the Clouds is a tribute to Fabre’s late brother Emile. For parts of the sculpture, including the head and hands, Fabre used casts of his own body. At the same time, he incorporated the facial likeness of Emile, reconstructed from a childhood photograph that was digitally aged. This makes the work both deeply personal and universal.
The work invites reflection on our human tendency to measure, understand and control, and about our eternal confrontation with the intangible.
This specific piece, titled The Man Who Measures the Clouds (American version, 18 years older), dates from 2016 and was cast in silicon bronze. It is Artist Proof I/IV and measures 283 x 150 x 80 cm. The work is signed and comes with an official certificate by Jan Fabre (Antwerp, 2019).
Other versions are held in museum collections in, among others, Ghent, Kanazawa and San Francisco.
Le garçon qui porte la lune et l’étoile sur sa tête
The Boy Who Carries the Universe
With the moon balanced on his head and a star on top, he looks as if he has stepped straight out of a dream. Le garçon qui porte la lune et l’étoile sur sa tête is a mystical work that moves between childlike wonder and cosmic symbolism.
The figure evokes associations with holy portraits, initiation rituals or even medieval allegories. Yet he remains elusive. What exactly is he carrying — a burden, a vision, a gift? And who is this boy, really?
As is often the case with Jan Fabre, the work resists a single interpretation. It invites you to interpret, reflect and project.
A rare piece, with great imaginative power and sculptural intensity. A work that lingers in the mind, long after you have seen it.
Le garçon qui porte la lune et l’étoile sur sa tête
The Boy Who Carries the Universe
With the moon balanced on his head and a star on top, he looks as if he has stepped straight out of a dream. Le garçon qui porte la lune et l’étoile sur sa tête is a mystical work that moves between childlike wonder and cosmic symbolism.
The figure evokes associations with holy portraits, initiation rituals or even medieval allegories. Yet he remains elusive. What exactly is he carrying — a burden, a vision, a gift? And who is this boy, really?
As is often the case with Jan Fabre, the work resists a single interpretation. It invites you to interpret, reflect and project.
A rare piece, with great imaginative power and sculptural intensity. A work that lingers in the mind, long after you have seen it.
About Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp) is one of the most influential Belgian artists of recent decades. His work moves effortlessly between disciplines: from theatre and performance to drawing, sculpture and literature.
What sets Fabre apart is his insatiable urge to grasp the intangible. He calls himself a consilience artist: someone who interweaves art, science, religion, biology and philosophy. Symbols recur constantly in his oeuvre: insects, skulls, clouds, measuring instruments, blue ink. Each work is an attempt to make humanity tangible in all its beauty, struggle and contradiction.
His sculptures can be found in leading museums worldwide, such as the Louvre (Paris), the SMAK (Ghent), the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), the 21st Century Museum (Kanazawa) and the Madre Museum (Naples). His installation Heaven of Delight, a ceiling with more than one and a half million jewel beetle wings, adorns the Hall of Mirrors at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
Fabre's work is often physically intense, emotionally charged and rich in symbolism. He builds bridges between the sacred and the personal, between dreams and the measurable.
About Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp) is one of the most influential Belgian artists of recent decades. His work moves effortlessly between disciplines: from theatre and performance to drawing, sculpture and literature.
What sets Fabre apart is his insatiable urge to grasp the intangible. He calls himself a consilience artist: someone who interweaves art, science, religion, biology and philosophy. Symbols recur constantly in his oeuvre: insects, skulls, clouds, measuring instruments, blue ink. Each work is an attempt to make humanity tangible in all its beauty, struggle and contradiction.
His sculptures can be found in leading museums worldwide, such as the Louvre (Paris), the SMAK (Ghent), the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), the 21st Century Museum (Kanazawa) and the Madre Museum (Naples). His installation Heaven of Delight, a ceiling with more than one and a half million jewel beetle wings, adorns the Hall of Mirrors at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
Fabre's work is often physically intense, emotionally charged and rich in symbolism. He builds bridges between the sacred and the personal, between dreams and the measurable.
About Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp) is one of the most influential Belgian artists of recent decades. His work moves effortlessly between disciplines: from theatre and performance to drawing, sculpture and literature.
What sets Fabre apart is his insatiable urge to grasp the intangible. He calls himself a consilience artist: someone who interweaves art, science, religion, biology and philosophy. Symbols recur constantly in his oeuvre: insects, skulls, clouds, measuring instruments, blue ink. Each work is an attempt to make humanity tangible in all its beauty, struggle and contradiction.
His sculptures can be found in leading museums worldwide, such as the Louvre (Paris), the SMAK (Ghent), the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), the 21st Century Museum (Kanazawa) and the Madre Museum (Naples). His installation Heaven of Delight, a ceiling with more than one and a half million jewel beetle wings, adorns the Hall of Mirrors at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
Fabre's work is often physically intense, emotionally charged and rich in symbolism. He builds bridges between the sacred and the personal, between dreams and the measurable.
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Since 1980, Auctim has been bringing buyers and sellers together. We specialize in online auctions that combine global reach with strong local expertise. Auctim has previously auctioned 2 editions of The Man Who Measures Clouds.
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