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Raymond Delamarre
Art Déco Period Large Carrara Marble Sculpture Bust.

1923

About the Item

Art Déco period, large Carrara marble female bust sculpture by Raymond Delamarre, one of the pre eminent Art Deco sculptors of his day. Fashioned like a Renaissance Princess but with all the decorative details of the Art Deco period in the handling of the hair and dress. Having won the Prix de Rome in 1920, Delamarre sculpted his now famous 'Suzanne au bain'. Some of the details of this sculpture are very reminiscent of this work and it may have been sculpted during his period in Rome. The sculpture when lit has a calm luminescence and beauty. The sculpture entitled "Suzanne" was the first work sent to Paris by Delamarre from Rome. When the Villa Médicis reopened after the war their finances were in a poor state and in 1920 they were not able to organize the traditional exhibition, which showed works completed by students and deemed suitable to be sent to Paris. That academic year, Delamarre had prepared a female nude study in plaster but this was not shown until an exhibition was organized in Rome for the year 1921, by which time the Villa had started to get back to normal. It was then shown in Paris in the September of that year. In 1926 a Carrara marble version was accepted by the Petit Palais des Champs-Elysées. In 1960 it was moved to the Musée d’art moderne in Paris. (The Delamarre family have recently reached out to us to confirm they held the original drawings and plaster model for this sculpture which they have donated to the museum 'La Piscine a Roubaix' where they are now on permanent display. They have confirmed the sitter was Marie-Rose de Sault, daughter of the politician Charles Jonnart and the work dates to 1923.) Raymond Delamarre (1890–1986) was a French sculptor and medallist. He played a major role in the Art Déco movement. While his ecclesiastical work showed the influence of Catholicism, he was personally agnostic. His art, especially his war memorials, was also influenced by his firsthand experiences of the horrors of the First World War. When aged sixteen years, Delamarre joined the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was attached to the studio of Jules-Félix Coutan. His studies were interrupted, firstly by his conscription into the army from 1911 to 1913 and then service from 1914 to 1918 after the French mobilization, although between the two he managed some further time back in Coutan's studio. Soon after mobilization Delamarre was sent to the front and was almost immediately taken prisoner. He was released in the course of an exchange of prisoners carried out in 1916 and returned to active service. On leaving the army at the end of the war, Delamarre now tried to secure the "Prix de Rome" and with the bas-relief "Le retour du guerrier au foyer familial" he shared the prize with Alfred Janniot which meant he was able to spend four years in Rome at the Villa Médicis. He was to stay in Rome until 1924, grew a moustache and visited and studied the sculpture of Greece. The composition "Suzanne au bain" exhibited in 1921 at the Salon des Artistes Français is a good illustration of Delamarre's work at this time. In 1925 and in collaboration with the architect Michel Roux Spitz, he took part in the competition to secure the work on the proposed "Monument à la Défense du canal de Suez" to be erected in Ismaîlia, a work of huge proportions and a most prestigious project. Also working with Roux-Spitz, he exhibited a sculptural composition for a water fountain at the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the bas-reliefs "Nessus et Dejanire" and "Persée et Andromède" cast in bronze in 1935, two tympani for the decorator Paul Follot, a bronze entitled "David" and a work in plaster entitled "Femme au bélier". Between 1926 and 1927, Delamarre worked on the "Mowgli" ronde-bosse. He also executed a bas-relief of Mowgli in plaster measuring 2 metres by 2 metres. In 1927, Delamarre married Mariel Jean-Brunhes, the daughter of the geographer Jean Brunhes and they made visits to Spain and the Ballearics. In 1928, he produced the group "Adam et Eve" or "La tentation" in bronze, which composition was to appear subsequently in various limited editions, in both bronze and plaster. In 1931, he participated in the Exposition Coloniale de Paris, creating the figure of Christ carved from acajou wood from Cuba and eight Beatitudes. 1935 saw completion of his work for the ocean liner "Normandie" and 1937 he completed his great work in bronze for the Palais de Chaillot with three 4-metre-high figures being created symbolizing Philosophy, the Visual Arts and the Arts. These figures were erected after the 1939–40 war. These three figures were to reappear in a number of limited editions in both plaster and bronze and in a variety of sizes. From 1961 to 1973, he managed the business of the "Art Sacré" studios in Paris' place de Furstenberg, working with Maurice Denis and Georges Desvallières. In 1963 Delamarre created the last of his great "monumental" works, executing 12 reliefs in stone for the entrance of the chapel of Nantes's new hospital, a building designed by Michel Roux Spitz, after which he worked on a number of busts, statues, medals and plaque until his death on 28 February 1986. His output both in medals and sculptures was huge. This article will concentrate on sculpture although a second article, just on Delamarre's medals would be both justified and welcome.
  • Creator:
    Raymond Delamarre (1890 - 1986)
  • Creation Year:
    1923
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 21 in (53.34 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Some minor bruising and scuffs and she would benefit from a clean.
  • Gallery Location:
    Cotignac, FR
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: LG/Delamarre1stDibs: LU143027144652
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