Description
Emile Antoine Bourdelle (French, 1861-1929) Bronze Sculpture
Bronze brutalist bust titled Enfant Riant (Laughing Child) Most probably modeled by his daughter; Rhodia. Bourdelle was a dark brutalist sculptor ; yet this rare bronze depicts a smiling little girl which only a father’s soft heart could have for their daughter. A very moving figurative sculpture!
Provenance: 1970 letter and expertise statement by Mme Rhodia Dufet Bourdelle; daughter of Antoine Bourdelle. Along with original documentation confirming authenticity by a letter dated 27th May, 1970 by Christina Brash of Grasvenor Gallery.
The bronze is signed, stamped with Bourdelle’s monogram along with the
Foundry: Vasuani Cire Perdue..
Dimensions: 14.5 X 12 X 9 inches
Condition: Good overall condition with normal aged patina. Displays some verdigris and surface wear consistent with age.
Son of a cabinetmaker, Émile Antoine Bourdelle was born in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne). He studied at the École des Beaux-arts de Toulouse and then joined the studio of sculptor Alexandre Falguière at the École de Beaux-arts de Paris. He settled in Montparnasse, at 16 impasse du Maine (now the Bourdelle Museum). He lived and worked in this city of artists for over 40 years. Herakles the Archer was a great success at the Salon de la Société nationale des beaux-arts in 1910. The work constitutes a manifesto of modern sculpture. Bourdelle found his personal path, marked by a sense of construction and synthetic forms (Head of Apollo, Penelope).
In 1910-1913, Bourdelle created the bas-reliefs for the façade of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as well as the interior frescoes.
Bourdelle taught for 20 years at the Grande-Chaumière Academy and in its workshops. He trained more than 500 students from all over the world.
From 1919, he received major monumental commissions throughout his life.
Bourdelle died in Le Vésinet in 1929.
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