International Sculptor Inspired by Change, Growth for Greenville Sculpture
- Megan Fitzgerald
- May 8
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15
Fen de Villiers believes the process of designing and creating sculptures should never be rushed.
The Scottish fine art sculptor based in Belgium was commissioned in early 2024 to create a public art installation for Biltmore Walk, a luxury townhome community under development in Greenville. De Villiers has spent the past year working closely with Keene Development Group, the project’s developer, to design the sculpture.
Biltmore Walk will consist of 44 brick-and-limestone townhomes, built in a park-like setting inspired by New York City’s Gramercy Park. De Villiers’ sculpture will sit at the corner of Biltmore Drive and Pearl Avenue in the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood.
Conceptual designs for the sculpture will be unveiled at Artisphere, the annual arts festival held May 9-11 in downtown Greenville. Attendees can view de Villiers’ sketches before the designs are submitted to the city’s Arts in Public Places Commission for review.
Intricate Design
The vision de Villiers and Keene Development Group landed on for the sculpture at Biltmore Walk depicts The Sower, a timeless archetype reflecting change and transformation. The sculpture would be made of bronze and stand 8 feet tall.
Sketches of the public artwork portray a figure striding forward, plowing soil with his feet while casting seeds onto the ground. De Villiers said the act of sowing seeds is a metaphor for the beginning process that leads to growth.
“There was also this recurring thing that came back to me. It was a line that was, ‘People do not plant seeds unless they dream of a greater tomorrow,’” he said.
De Villiers drew inspiration from his American art deco heroes Lee Lawrie, Paul Manship and Rene Paul Chambellan for the sculpture’s design. The proposed public artwork has a refined, classical art deco style that aims to reflect the timeless qualities of the buildings at Biltmore Walk.
“I really wanted to make, to work on a sculpture that was optimistic and future-oriented,” de Villiers said. “It was that sort of optimism that I saw and have been seeing so much in American art deco of the 1920s and ’30s.”
The conceptual designs for the Biltmore Walk sculpture also seamlessly mirror Greenville’s past and future growth. De Villiers said artwork should speak to the certain spirit of an area. He found the optimism in the city’s future to be contagious and inspirational.
De Villiers’ sculpture is still in its conceptual phase. Designs for the proposed artwork should be reviewed by the Arts in Public Places Commission this summer. After the designs are approved, de Villiers will spend another year creating scaled-up clay models and molds before casting the final bronze sculpture.
“It takes a very long time, you know, to properly do this,” de Villiers said. “I want to be able to get the absolute best thing that I can and really show off, you know, what this piece can be. It’s something I would absolutely not want to rush.”
Public Art
The sculpture Fen de Villiers will create for Biltmore Walk in Greenville will be his first piece displayed in the public sphere. He typically creates sculptures for private collections or exhibitions.
“I think it being a public work, ultimately, it should have a more refined and classical aspect to it. I don’t think it would be a good idea necessarily to create a more experimental piece, for example,” de Villiers said. “The important thing about public sculptures is that it should really be a joy to be around such a work.”
About Fen de Villiers
Fen de Villiers is a Scottish fine art sculptor based in Antwerp, Belgium. He uses traditional materials such as bronze and stone to create sculptures inspired by early modernist movements such as art deco and futurism.
Article by Greenville Journal's Megan Fitzgerald - May 8, 2025
Read Full Article on the Greenville Journal Website.
Download Full Article Here.