Walter De Buck

De Buck was born in Ghent in 1934.^[1] He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where he graduated in 1954 magna cum laude.^[1] De Buck made his debut as a sculptor at the 1958 World’s Fair and was awarded several prizes for his sculptures.^[1] In 1962 he founded the non-profit organisation Trefpunt, with which he restarted the Gentse Feesten in 1969.^[2]

As a musician, De Buck made a name as a singer and writer of folk music with the song 't Vliegerke, released in 1971.^[3] In 1986 De Buck retired from Trefpunt to focus on his sculpture work.^[1] De Buck felt he would only stop being creative when he died.^[4]

De Buck died on 21 December 2014 in Ghent from the effects of esophageal cancer, having previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.^[4]

De Buck was posthumously honored in 2017 by the city of Ghent, which renamed part of Bij Sint-Jacobs square as Walter De Buckplein in his honor.^[5] This was the location where the Gentse Feesten had been restarted in 1969.^[5]