Once again, a recent consignment has inspired me to write about art and artists, though perhaps this time I should say sculptures and sculptors. I am no stranger to cast bronze; I grew up with my parent’s well-patinaed collection staring down at me from mantles and shelves, but the work of Antoine Bourdelle, the prolific French sculptor, is worth a paragraph or two!
Born in France in 1861, Bourdelle was the son of a cabinet maker so maybe it comes as no surprise his first carved sculptures were of wood. Showing proficiency and artistic independence, he received a scholarship to attend the School of Fine Arts in Toulouse. During his early years he received awards for his works and set up a studio in Paris, which is actually part of the Bourdelle Museum today.
During his lifetime, Bourdelle found inspiration from Beethoven and sculpted many busts of the composer. It is said both his wives and daughter also modeled for him and inspired his works. An assistant to famed sculptor Auguste Rodin for 15 years, Antoine Bourdelle’s attention to the figural form is nearly unrivaled. He even became a teacher himself, one of his most notable students being none other than famous artist Henri Matisse.
A prominent artist in the Art Deco movement, Bourdelle led the way from the beaux-arts era that dominated the end of the 19th century into the modern styles of the 20th century. As his career progressed, he received larger commissions for monuments and architectural reliefs. Antoine Bourdelle left a legacy filled with Romanesque forms and mythological figures after his death in 1929. He was so influential that today, his work is on display in over a dozen museums worldwide.
Anyways, back to the consignment that inspired this article: An exquisite bronze by Bourdelle available in our upcoming Fall Fine & Decorative Art Auction. Titled “Le Jeu de Voile” or “Dance of the Veil,” it stands at over two feet tall and depicts an art deco woman (his wife, perhaps?) dancing in a diaphanous dress with flowing fabric in her hands. In storage for decades, the bronze patina is in excellent condition and presents beautifully. A nearly identical version of this sculpture is actually on display in the Tokyo Museum of Western Art in Japan, and I’m a little envious one lucky bidder will get bring this museum quality piece home from Bruneau and Co. October 24th – will it be you?
