French sculptor Émile Gilioli crafted each piece to polished perfection. His smooth marble and bronze abstract sculptures feature reflective surfaces, graceful curves and sudden, sharp lines and angles. And while Gilioli was obsessed with refinement in his three-dimensional work, his abstract prints and watercolors reveal a looser, more expressive approach. No matter the chosen medium, his inner artist always shone through.
Gilioli was born in 1911 to a family of Italian shoemakers living in Paris. When he was three years old, his family moved back to Italy and settled in Mantua, where young Gilioli was eventually employed at the local forge. After World War I, his family moved back to France and Gilioli attended the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs and Beaux-Arts de Paris. He started working as a sculpture craftsman at 17 years old, and at 19, he joined the studio of Jean Boucher.
During World War II, Gilioli was stationed in Grenoble. There, he spent time at the Musée de Grenoble and was introduced to Cubism. Upon his return to Paris in 1945, he became one of the key figures in the city's burgeoning abstractionist movement. That same year, he held his first exhibition in Grenoble and also showed at two salons in Paris, in 1947 and ’49.
Gilioli eventually settled in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-la-Cluze, where he opened a sculpture atelier. Throughout the 1950s, he continued to pave the way for abstract sculpture in the country, frequently exhibiting with artists like Alicia Penalba, François Stahly and Étienne Martin. Throughout his long career, Gilioli designed many large sculptures for public spaces.
In 1997, to mark the 20-year anniversary of his death, the commune of Saint-Martin-de-la-Cluze purchased his workshop and home, turning the property into a museum to permanently display his creations.
Gilioli's sculptures and works on paper are held in museums in France and around the world, including the Musée de Grenoble, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
On 1stDibs, find Émile Gilioli prints, drawings, sculptures and more.
1960s "Les Nuits Et Les Jours" Tapestry by Emile Gilioli
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Paris, FR
Emile Gilioli Les nuits et les jours 1969 Tapisserie de lice Manufacture Nationale de Beauvais Signature : en bas à gauche MBN / en bas à droite Gilioli Les tapisseries de Gilioli se situent dans cette recherche de l’absolu, de la pureté, de la spiritualité qui marque toute son oeuvre. « D’abord j’aime la laine...
Wool
Emile Gilioli, "Vers le jour" Original Hand-woven Tapestry in wool
By Émile Gilioli
Located in New York, NY
-Edition 2/5 -Manufactured by Atelier Raymond Picaud, Aubusson Vers le jour (Towards the Day)is distinguished by its strictly monochromatic palette, built entirely from variations o...
Wool
Emile Gilioli "The Fall of Icarus" - Original Hand-woven Tapestry in Wool
By Émile Gilioli
Located in New York, NY
"The fall of Icarus", Aubusson tapestry signed Emile Gilioli Gilioli - "Chute d'Icare" Material: Wool Year: 1966 Dimensions: 130 x 162 cm/ 4.2 x 5.3 ft Aubusson tapestry woven...
Wool
$9,900
H 0.25 in W 96 in D 72 in
Vintage French Aubusson Tapestry, Hand-Woven Wool, Forest Scene, 72" x 96"
Located in Barrington, IL
A beautifully hand-woven French Aubusson tapestry in the style of 17th-century Verdure tapestries, created in 20th-century France. This timeless work of textile art features a serene nature scene, with birds perched on tree branches amidst a lush, tranquil forest. Woven in classic Verdure style, the tapestry showcases an exquisite palette of soft greens and blues, capturing the depth and serenity of the woodland landscape. The tapestry is backed with cloth and includes a sewn-in pocket for a display rod, making it ready for elegant hanging. The beautiful French Aubussion tapestry is stunning decorative piece that evokes the romantic charm and masterful craftsmanship of historic French weaving. Dimensions: 72" x 96" Date of Manufacture: Late 1900s Place of Origin: France Material: Wool Condition: Good The Persian Knot Gallery, SKU: 1974 Vintage Handwoven Tapestries, French Aubusson Tapestry, Aubusson Tapestry Pillows, European Embroidery,18th Century Antique French Tapestry, Large Wall Tapestry, Handwoven Tapestry, Modernist Tapestry, Mid Century Wall Tapestry, Antique Tapestry with Frame...
Wool
$790Sale Price|24% Off
H 32.29 in W 16.54 in D 0.79 in
Flemish Tapestry Fragment, Hand-Woven Wool, Late 17th Century, 82cm
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
B/876 - Flemish XVIII tapestry nice fragment for wall: an idea for an unusual picture on wall, more elegant and less expensive. It is certainly not common to see it in a house.
Wool
$50,018
H 133.08 in W 133.86 in D 0.2 in
Flemish Hand-Woven "Feuilles de Choux" Tapestry, Silk and Wool
Located in Firenze, FI
Provenance: Oudenaarde manufacture, Flanders, Mid-16th Century Tapestry wool and silk texture Dimensions 340/330 x 340/338cm Extremely rare piece In good condition Washed and lined It is a typical Flemish tapestry "with large leaves", well preserved, woven with green, yellow and brown yarns whose colors have remained fresh and intense. The market and collectors in recent decades have greatly re-evaluated tapestries with "large leaves", appreciating their high decorative value and ability to blend in with modern furnishings. Our tapestry belongs to a very particular subcategory of the "feuille de...
Wool, Silk
Wool Wall Tapestry by Eva Németh, Hungary, 1960s Modernist
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Here is a very striking handwoven wool wall tapestry by Hungarian textile artist Eva Németh, executed in the 1960s. The vertically structured composition features stylized female fig...
Wool
Woven Wool Tapestry in the Style of Evelyn Ackerman
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Kansas City, MO
Beautiful vintage modern wall hanging of an outdoor scene with people, animals, and trees in the styled of Evelyn Ackerman. Very good condi...
Wool
Italian Mid Century Modern Tapestry circa 1960s
Located in Atlanta, GA
Italian Mid Century Modern Tapestry, Italy, circa 1960s. Abstract architectural design.
Fabric, Textile
$7,909
H 13.78 in W 35.44 in D 0.12 in
Tapestry "Röd Crocus" by Ann-Mari Forsberg for Märta Måås-Fjetterström, 1960s
By Märta Måås-Fjetterström
Located in Stockholm, SE
Important wall tapestry,"Röd Crocus" by Ann-Mari Forsberg for Märta Måås-Fjetterström, 1960s.. Wool and linen on wool warp. Designed in 1945. Handwoven flatware tapestry at Märta Måå...
Wool, Linen
Midcentury Handmade Wool Tapestry, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Handmade - circa 1960s - Probably Czechoslovakia.
Wool
Midcentury Design Handmade Tapestry, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Handmade - Czechoslovakia - Very good condition - circa 1960s.
Textile
$15,920Sale Price|38% Off
H 106.7 in W 128.35 in D 0.24 in
18th Century Aubusson Tapestry Verdure, Hand-Woven Wool, France
By Aubusson Manufacture
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A luxurious 18th-century Aubusson tapestry, depicting a dog barking at fowl on a river, in a typically rural and architectural-themed landscape. Hand-woven in wool, in predominantly ...
Wool
$407
H 33.86 in W 39.77 in D 0.6 in
Vintage Hungarian Kelim Tapestry in Wool by Éva Németh for Ziola, 1960s.
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Hungarian Kelim Tapestry in Wool by Éva Németh for Ziola, 1960s. This hand woven woolen tapestry was made specifically for Illum's Bolighus in Denmark to be sold along with...
Wool
Vintage Hand-Woven African Tapestry, Wool, Village Life Scenes
Located in Barrington, IL
Celebrate the beauty in simplicity with this vintage hand-woven African tapestry, a captivating textile artwork that portrays life in a rural village. Depicting people and animals en...
Wool
Set of Four 20th Century French Gilioli Lithographs
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A collection of four mid-20th Century abstract geometric lithographs in black, white and red. By French sculptor and painter Emile Gilioli (1911 – 1977). All signed and numbered 2/5...
Paper
Sold
H 31.11 in W 24.81 in D 1.19 in
Emile Gilioli (1911-1977) : Abstract Composition, Pastel. Circa 1960
By Émile Gilioli
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Emile GILIOLI (1911-1977) : Abstract composition Pastel drawingon paper Gilded wooden baguette frame Signed lower left France, circa 1960 Dimensions (frame included): Height 79...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Sold
H 108.27 in W 91.74 in D 0.99 in
Unique XL artist tapestry by Émile Gilioli "Noir, rouge et Blanc", ca. 1970
By Ewald Kröner, Émile Gilioli
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Unique artist tapestry by Émile Gilioli – "Noir, rouge et blanc", woven by Ewald Kröner, ca. 1970. An intriguing and rare abstract artwork, executed in a tufted woven wool tapestry i...
Wool
Sold
H 26.97 in W 35.63 in D 1.38 in
Unique metal relief "Collage en métal découpé" by Émile Gilioli, France 1971
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Unique metal relief "Collage en métal découpé" by Émile Gilioli (1911–1977), France 1971. An intriguing abstract collage made from sheets of metal in a minimal cubistic style. Althou...
Metal