Becquerel Rare Art Deco Bronze

Name: Becquerel Rare Art Deco Bronze
Brand: André Vincent Becquerel
Price: 5345.11 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

ANDRÉ-VINCENT BECQUEREL silvered bronze circa 1930. 7 swallows on a weather vane mounted on a surfine black marble base from Belgium. Note 2 small chips on the marble . Total height: 43 cm Width: 58 cm Base length: 32.3 cm Base width: 10.2 cm Weight: 6,3 Kg Little is known about the origins of André-Vincent Becquerel, other than that he was born on November 30, 1893 in Saint André Farivilliers in the Oise, within a family of scientists famous since the 19th century. Its members include Henri Becquerel, co-inventor of radioactivity and Nobel Prize winner in physics in 1903. The young André-Vincent's artistic temperament and attraction to sculpture were evident from his childhood. He first followed the lessons of Hector Lemaire (1846-1933) for Figure and those of Prosper Lecourtier (1855-1924) and Charles Valton (1851-1918) for animal art to which he attended over the years dedicate yourself entirely. He was 21 when he exhibited for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Français. His artistic production was interrupted during the Great War when he was mobilized in the aviation. Later, he created a monument in Saint-Valery en Caux in memory of the aviators Costes and Bellonte for their crossing of the Atlantic. On the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1937, another monumental construction was entrusted to him. He reappeared at the Salon in 1921 with a first animal sculpture, An old guardian (Berger d'Alsace), then at that of 1922 with a Little stone cat, two works which have now disappeared. Aware of his talent, the Susse house contacted him and signed a publishing contract with him for a few models. Around the 1930s, he worked with the Etling house for which he created a few polychrome statuettes in the spirit of Chiparus made up of different materials: ivory, enamels, highlighted with gold, such as La Vénitienne. He also produces ceramic editions, in particular Breton figurines. This being said, for the majority of his work which is animal, he himself remains his own publisher, like the majority of sculptors of his time, and will regularly present his new creations, bronzes and marbles, at the Salon until 1954. He will also specialize in the representation of birds delicately posed on branches, numerous variations, or fish evolving in the waves and among algae, rarer productions, which will experience real success. A member of the Salon des Artistes Français, he won a bronze medal at the 1944 Salon, the gold medal at the 1945 Salon and the Yser Prize in 1952. The composition of his models demonstrates both a simplifying design and architectural construction which are the mark of powerful creators. Furthermore, the details of the modeling, the "surface sculpture" so important for animal sculpture, is there to inflate the volumes, which gives to his bronzes, to the wild animals in particular, this astonishing presence which is found in the greatest animals. Like Barye, Guyot and Pompon, his works present a character of monumentality which is the clear sign of great talents. The most interesting models are those that he published himself. He then mainly resorted to sand casting in terms of technique. And for the prints, as was the case at that time, he used unjustified editions, but generally numbered and limited in fact by the artisanal nature of their distribution.

Creator:

André Vincent Becquerel (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)Width: 22.84 in (58 cm)Depth: 4.02 in (10.2 cm)

Style:

Art Deco (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Bronze,Marble

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

Mid-20th Century