Items Similar to The Secret
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
Pierre Fix-MasseauThe Secretcirca 1895
circa 1895
About the Item
The Secret
by Pierre-Félix FIX-MASSEAU (1869-1937)
Gilded bronze
Signed on the side "Fix-Masseau"
Cast stamped "Siot-Decauville Paris"
Raised on a rough red marble base
France
circa 1895
height of the bronze 27,5 cm
total height 31,5 cm
Biography :
Pierre-Félix Fix-Masseau, pseudonym of Pierre Félix Masseau (1869-1937) was a French sculptor. As a student at the fine arts School in Lyon, Pierre Félix Masseau received a scholarship to study in the studio of Gabriel-Jules Thomas in Paris, where he remained from 1889 to 1893. Then he became a student at the fine arts School of Paris. In 1879, he received a travel grant allowing him to visit Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, especially Florence and Naples.
Pierre-Félix Fix-Masseau frequented the circles of Symbolist writers in the 1890s. He had an eccentric personality and didn't hesitate to disguise himself in Christ. He lived withdrawn from the world and only frequented a few avant-garde circles such as the Théâtre de l'Oeuvre. Confidential in nature, he only opened his workshop to a few close friends.
Pierre-Félix Fix-Masseau was noticed by Auguste Rodin at the Salon des Artistes Français where he sent his works between 1890 and 1892. He exhibited under the name Félix Masseau then Fix-Masseau. The president of the Chamber of Commerce said of him to the director of the Beaux-Arts in Paris, in May 1894, that he "is a little influenced by our compatriot, the bizarre and powerful Jean-Joseph Carriès, but he really has a strong temperament”. At the beginning of the 1890s, Fix-Masseau was one of the main figures of Symbolist sculpture. From 1893, he exhibited regularly at the Salon of the National Society of Fine Arts in the section of sculpture as in that of art objects. His early research oriented him towards materials such as polychrome wax, marble, bronze, plaster, wood, ivory and ceramics. His workshop was located at Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris.
In 1895, Fix-Masseau exhibited his work "Emprise" which established his fame as a Symbolist sculptor. This work was selected for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The same year, he participated in the first Art Nouveau Salon in Paris. The Symbolists saw in him the sculptor of the neurosis and the invisible. Masks, expression heads and female figures are the support for an inner exploration of the soul. Fix-Masseau produced his most significant works in the last decade of the 19th century, notably "Le Secret", exhibited at the 1894 Salon, which was successful and bought by the State.
Fix-Masseau was marked by the ceramic experiments of Jean-Joseph Carriès. He contributed to the rapprochement between ceramics and the decorative arts. He wasn't limited to a single medium but he worked in all fields of decorative arts. He created objects in which fantasy and dreams mingle with the evocation of nature. In the middle of the 1890s, Pierre-Félix Fix-Masseau associated the female figure with floral motifs, certain elements such as the hair where the drapery took on a strange importance, he incorporated the most diverse elements that reinforced the decorative aspect and explored the expressive properties of pewter, ivory, ceramics, researched for special patinas that he declined in inkwells, vases and candlesticks like "The Bad Host of the Night" exhibited at the Salon of the National Society of Fine Arts in 1897.
At the start of the 20th century, Fix-Masseau continued to exhibit at the Salon and the Salon d'Automne. In 1903, he exhibited in Brussels at "La Libre Esthétique". The same year, the deputy Pierre Baudin sent a request to the director of the Beaux-Arts in Paris: “The artist is in full maturity; his talent has reached its final expression. It is the moment, I believe, to admit it to be represented in Luxembourg”.
In 1913, Fix-Masseau became the director of the School of Decorative Arts in Limoges until 1935. He continued his artistic researches, in particular on materials such as sandstone, the tactile qualities of which he explored. His last sculpture was a Monument to Baudelaire that he took nearly ten years to create (Luxembourg garden).
- Creator:Pierre Fix-Masseau (1905 - 1994, French)
- Creation Year:circa 1895
- Dimensions:Height: 12.41 in (31.5 cm)Width: 4.34 in (11 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:
Pierre Fix-Masseau
Pierre Fix-Masseau (1905-1994) was a leading poster designer in the Art Deco period whose work reveals a fascination with the high speed and new technology which typified the preoccupations of the age. Transport was one of the most popular themes in Art Deco posters and Fix-Masseau’s work is dominated by ships, cars and trains
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1992
1stDibs seller since 2023
Typical response time: 17 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: PARIS, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Young girl from Bou-Saada, bronze female sculptureBy Louis Ernest BarriasLocated in PARIS, FR"Young girl from Bou-Saada" by Louis-Ernest BARRIAS (1841-1905) A very fine bronze sculpture with a gilded patina. cast by SUSSE stamped "Copy right by Susse Frères 1893" Standing on its original natural wood base France 1893 height with the base 38,5 cm width of the base 33,5 x 33,5 cm Biography : Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) was a French sculptor . He came from a family of artists. His father was a porcelain painter and his older brother, Felix-Joseph Barrias, a recognized painter. Louis-Ernest Barrias entered the School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1858, he abandoned painting to move towards sculpture under the direction of François Jouffroy. In 1864, he won the Prix de Rome, on the theme of "The Foundation of Marseille", and was engaged on the site of the Paris Opera house. He later produced many sculpted works, most of them in marble. In 1881, Louis-Ernest Barrias was awarded a medal of honor of the fine arts and named knight of the Legion of Honor in 1878, then promoted officer in 1881 and commander in 1900. The artist replaced Auguste Dumont at the Institute in 1884, then succeeded Jules Cavelier as a professor at the School of Fine Arts, where, among his most notable students, there were Victor Ségoffin, Charles Despiau and Paul Landowski.Category
1890s Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Horse training with its stable ladLocated in PARIS, FR(after) Arthur Marie Gabriel comte du Passage (1838-1909) Horse training with its stable lad A rare large bronze group with nuanced dark brown patina circa 1896 signed on the base "...Category
Late 19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Bust of an Oriental womanLocated in PARIS, FRBust of an Oriental woman by Emile GUILLEMIN (1841-1907) Orientalist bronze sculpture with triple patina, gilded, dark reddish brown and silvered. France circa 1880 total height 63 ...Category
1880s Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Ape riding on a GnuBy Antoine-Louis BaryeLocated in PARIS, FRApe riding on a Gnu by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze group with a nuanced dark green patina signed "Barye" on the base Old cast probably by Brame France circa 1890 heig...Category
1890s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- PheasantBy François PomponLocated in PARIS, FRPheasant by François Pompon (1855-1933) Exceptional bronze with old gilded patina Cast by Valsuani Period cast France circa 1930 height 8,2 cm length 14,2 cm width 3,6 cm A simila...Category
1930s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Man's head wearing glassesLocated in PARIS, FRMan's head wearing glasses by Laurent Belloni (né En 1969) Bronze cast with a nuanced black patina Signed "Belloni" on the base Foundry mark "Susse fondeur Paris", and foundry stam...Category
1990s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
You May Also Like
- Anita Birkenfeld, Dress, garment sculpture, Bronze sculptureBy Anita BirkenfeldLocated in Tel Aviv, ILAnita Birkenfeld, Bronze sculpture, figurative sculpture, soul, Garment, Israeli art, Israeli artistCategory
2010s Symbolist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- AngelLocated in Santa Monica, CAEdition of 6.Category
2010s Symbolist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Jean Garnier, L'Enfer des Luxurieux, The Hell of the Luxurious, Erotic Relief.Located in Stockholm, SEA rare round relief cast, elaborate chiseled bronze/copper with brown patina by Jean François Marie Garnier (1820-1895). Cast c.1859-1864. Not signed. The motif is taken from Dantes...Category
1860s Symbolist Nude Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Victory - Bronze Sculpture After A. Wildt - 1990By Adolfo WildtLocated in Roma, ITSecond Edition of 6 copies plus 3 Artist’s Proofs, realized in 1990 after the famous homonymous sculpture realized by Wildt in 1918/19. Authorized by Wildt's heirs, from the original...Category
1990s Symbolist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- "untitled" sculpture, Steel contemporary snake sculpture in blackBy Jake Michael SingerLocated in Johannesburg, ZAJake Michael Singer (b. 1991) experiments with a broad range of disciplines from photography to works on paper, and commands an exquisite mastery of sculpture. Meticulously construct...Category
2010s Symbolist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Seolfor Murmur, Steel contemporary bird sculpture in steelBy Jake Michael SingerLocated in Johannesburg, ZAJake Michael Singer (b. 1991) experiments with a broad range of disciplines from photography to works on paper, and commands an exquisite mastery of sculpture. Meticulously construct...Category
2010s Symbolist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsStainless Steel