Maud Bekaert - Letters in stone
The art of letter carving by hand. Visit us at and
Training & education:
In 1993, I took a course in letter carving. After a few months I was so captivated by letters and stones, mallet, chisel and ink that I studied with Brody Neuenschwander ( in order to perfect my trade. I became a self-employed letter carver in 1996 and have had an atelier in the centre of Bruges since 2003. I have also followed workshops with the likes of Carl Rorhs (US), Tom Perkins (UK), Gaynor Goffe (UK) and Lieve Cornil (BE - Since January 2010, my brother Thibault Bekaert has been working as my apprentice.
Commissions
I create name plates, tombstones, inauguration stones, house numbers, wedding and birth stones, or any other application of letter carving. Each commission is personally discussed with the customer and fully designed and carved by hand. I mainly work with blue stone, white stone, marble, sandstone, limestone and slate.
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Personal work
The way I read is the way I travel. The way I travel is the way I go about my personal work. I am always looking for boundaries, differences and similarities. For perfection and chaos. Architecture is my main source of inspiration and the Japanese architect Tadao Ando is the architect I admire most. Black slate and concrete are my favourite materials. For the contemporary arts festival of Watou, I have joined forces with Johan Tahon, Brody Neuenschwander, Jan Op de Beeck and Peter Verhelst.
South Africa
Since 2007 I have been organising letter carving workshops in the South African slum of Khayelitsha, where, in 2009, I founded a collective that puts young people to work as letter carvers. (
In the summer of 2008, I was curator of WOR(L)DS, an artistic exchange project between Belgian and South African artists, consisting of a route marked by various stones between Brugge and Zeebrugge. At the end of the exhibition, all stones were auctioned at the Burg van Brugge, for the benefit of South African children affected by AIDS.
Reproductions
Apart from unique pieces, I also offer reproductions of other works. These are made in cast stone (a mix of finely ground marble and lime) and are for sale on or in my personal workshop, either on Fridays (10-12 am and 2-6 pm) or by appointment. ( click shop)
If you would like to be invited for exhibitions, please send us your personal information at info@lettersinsteen.be.