Romanian sculptor Demetre Chiparus — who is sometimes referred to as Dumitru Chiparus or Dimitri Chiparus — was a renowned Art Deco-era artist most often associated with realism. He initially created sculptures that featured small children. As his work began to mature, he continued to create figurative sculptures but shifted his focus, and his output was marked by an appreciation for the lithe female form — a popular subject during the 1920s. Chiparus was later known for his animal sculptures, too.
Chiparus lived comfortably as an artist owing in part to his family fortune. At the age of 23, he moved to Italy and began his formal art and sculpting studies under Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. Following his time in Italy, he moved to Paris where he attended L'École des Beaux-Arts. He studied under sculptors Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. He was inspired by the Russian Ballet, French theater and early motion pictures.
Though he wouldn’t sell many of his pieces during his lifetime, Chiparus was well known for his bright and colorful busts and sculptures featuring dancing ladies. He was equally inspired by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb — a common influence for designers and artists of the Art Deco era — which is obvious in his references to Egyptian themes in his decorative objects and other realist works.
Chiparus worked with a combination of ivory and bronze to create chryselephantine sculptures, a method and type of sculpture that was particularly popular during the Archaic period. The bases of his pieces were typically made of marble or onyx and he adorned his life-like subjects with vibrant enamel that lent a touch of whimsicality to his art.
Chiparus exhibited his works at the Salon of 1914 and lived in Paris until his death. A range of his sculptures is held in the permanent collection of the Museo Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Spain.
Find original Demetre Chiparus decorative objects, sculptures and other works on 1stDibs.
Demetre Chiparus Egyptian Dancer
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Miami, FL
Demetre Chiparus Egyptian Dancer, ca. 1920 Bronze, enamel, gilt metal, and marble 29 in Signed to base 'Chiparus'
Bronze
Oriental Dancer
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Miami, FL
Oriental Dancer Cold-painted Bronze Figure, circa 1925 on a shaped marble plinth inset with bronze medallions 15 in high, signed to base 'Chiparus' Demetre Chiparus was a Romanian s...
Bronze
$20,000
H 4.5 in W 21 in D 4 in
Tigre à l'affût, Art Deco Bronze Sculpture by Georges Lavroff
By Georges Lavroff
Located in Long Island City, NY
Georges Lavroff, Russian (1895 - 1991) - Tigre à l'affût, Year: circa 1925, Medium: Bronze sculpture on marble base, signature inscribed at base, Size: 4.5 x 21 x 4 in. (11.43 x 5...
Marble, Bronze
Owl, Art Deco Bronze Sculpture on Marble Base
Located in Long Island City, NY
Unknown Artist - Owl, Medium: Bronze Sculpture on Marble Base, Size: 12 x 4 x 3.25 in. (30.48 x 10.16 x 8.26 cm), Frame Size: BASE SIZE: 2 x 4.75 x 4.75 inches
Marble, Bronze
$2,595
H 17 in W 10 in D 9.5 in
Antique French Art Deco Bronze Bust Sculpture Head of Beautiful Young Girl 1920
By Marcel-André Bouraine
Located in Portland, OR
Antique French Art Deco Bronze bust sculpture of a beautiful young woman, by Marcel Andre Bouraine (1886-1948), and cast by the Etling foundry, Paris, circa 1920. The bronze depicts...
Marble, Bronze
$6,500
H 19.5 in W 23.25 in D 6.25 in
Antique French Art deco Leaping Stag Bronze Statue Sculpture Bronze marble 1925
By Georges H. Laurent
Located in Portland, OR
A fine & large antique French Art Deco Bronze leaping stag sculpture/statue, by Georges H. Laurent (1880-1940), circa 1925. Georges H. Laurent was known for his animal subjects and t...
Bronze
$3,000
H 15 in W 7.5 in D 9 in
"Autumn" limited edition bronze sculpture of female figure by the artist Erte
By Erte - Romain de Tirtoff
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Autumn" bronze sculpture by the artist Erte. Depicts a woman standing on a leaf. Engraved RKP Int Corp © 1980 167/250 on base.
Bronze
$1,295
H 9 in W 5 in D 4 in
Antique French Bronze Animalier Sculpture Statue Rooster Cockerel Chicken
Located in Portland, OR
A very handsome antique French bronze of a rooster, by Louis-Albert Carvin (1875-1951), the bronze is signed and dates circa 1900. This very lovely antique bronze was created circa ...
Marble, Bronze
$40,000
H 18 in W 9 in D 6 in
"Mercury" NYC 1931 Bronze 5th Ave Traffic Light Sculpture American Art Deco WPA
Located in New York, NY
"Mercury" NYC 1931 Bronze 5th Ave Traffic Light Sculpture American Art Deco WPA In the late 1920s, Joseph Freedlander was asked by the City of New York ...
Bronze
Charming French Art Deco Bronze Nude by F. Trinque, 1930
Located in Dallas, TX
French Art Deco bronze sitting nude by F. Trinque, 1930. A gorgeous Art Deco woman stretching her arms and drying her back with a towel possibly after a swim or bath with a rich gold...
Bronze
$4,500
H 8.2 in W 4.6 in D 2.75 in
Ferdinand Preiss Hoop Girl And Sonny Boy Painted Bronze Figures
By Ferdinand Preiss
Located in Dallas, TX
Ferdinand Preiss (German, 1882 - 1943) Hoop Girl & Sonny Boy Cold-painted bronze Circa 1930, Art Deco Period Dimensions: 8.18 Inches Tall x 4.65 Inches wide x 2.75 inches deep. ...
Marble, Bronze
$3,600
H 14 in W 24 in D 8 in
Antique French Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Native American Indian Hunter Scout
Located in Portland, OR
A fine & large antique French Art Deco bronze of a Native American scout or brave, by René-André Varnier, circa 1920. This very fine and dynamic antique patinated bronze sculpture de...
Bronze
$2,495
H 11.5 in W 7.5 in D 4.5 in
Antique Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Statue Female Nude Dancer Josef Lorenzl 1925
Located in Portland, OR
A very elegant antique Art Deco bronze sculpture, statue by Josef Lorenzl, Austria, 1925. This beautiful bronze sculpture portrays a beautiful young woman, she is modeled as a nude t...
Bronze
Poignée de porte au grand duc
By Diego Giacometti
Located in PARIS, FR
Decorative art.
Bronze
Sold
H 9.5 in W 14.75 in D 3 in
Antique French Art Deco Bronze Figural Group/Statue 1930's D. H. Chiparus
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Portland, OR
Antique French Art Deco Bronze Figural Group/Statue, Demetre Haralamb Chiparus (1886-1947), 1930s. The bronze showing a whimsical scene of a ...
Marble, Bronze
woman
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Nice, FR
A rare sculpture made of clay by Demeter Chiparus, representing a sit nude woman. Signed on the sculpture. On a wood basement. Demétre Haralamb Chiparus...
Clay
Wheat Art Deco by Demetre Chiparus
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Miami, FL
Beautiful large work and it's very heavy. Bronze with green and gold patina. It is very heavy
Bronze