GEORGES LUCIEN GUYOT (1885-1973) "Lioness seated, head turned to the left" the model designed circa [1935], our proof numbered 4/12 Sculpture. Rare proof in bronze with a dark shaded brown patina. Lost-wax casting. Early ante mortem edition. Signed GUYOT, stamped SUSSE Fres Paris - Cire perdue and numbered 4/12 on the terrace. H. 71 cm - Terrace : 39 x 44 cm This lot will be on view until March 13 at the expert's: Emmanuel Eyraud - 27 rue Saint-Dominique 75007 Paris - Tel. +33.(0)1.45.54.97.51 Provenance : Estate X., Isère. Work held for several generations in the family of the deceased. Important information The authenticity of this work has been kindly confirmed by Mr. Pierre Dumonteil, representative of the artist's estate. It will be listed in the G. L. Guyot archives. Public collections, exhibitions and related works : Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris - A bronze proof of a Lioness created in 1936 and a print made by Susse, close to our work, is kept in this institution under inventory number AMS 348 following its acquisition by the state at the Salon d'Automne in 1937. This print was shown at various exhibitions throughout the United States between 2004 and 2005, then at a traveling exhibition in Asia between 2005 and 2006. Finally, it was included in the exhibition Nouvel accrochage des collections historiques organized at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris from January 29, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Georges-Lucien GUYOT (1885-1972) A key figure in twentieth-century animal art, Georges-Lucien Guyot was above all a keen observer of nature, and enjoyed transcribing into sculpture the behaviors of the animals he loved so much. Showing artistic talent from an early age, but without the means, he began his apprenticeship with a woodcarver. He soon developed an affinity for animal sculpture, which led him - like many other sculptors of his time - to frequent the Jardin des Plantes, where he was able to observe numerous animal and plant species. Unable to follow an academic curriculum, Guyot nevertheless managed to join the classes at the École des Beaux-Arts de Rouen during his military service. Two years later, in 1906, he exhibited one of his works for the first time - a Bear, his future favorite subject - at the Salon des Artistes Français. Then, in 1918, he settled in Montmartre, becoming a guest at the Bateau-Lavoir in a period of great artistic effervescence dominated by the cubist trend. Combining assiduous study of animal attitudes and expressions with artist's proofs or zoological models, Guyot achieved total mastery of animal anatomy, enabling him to create stylized naturalistic sculptures depicting his models according to what determines their essence. Thus, the first highly realistic proofs were soon followed by more mature works, mostly devoted to wild animals - notably wildcats, primates and, of course, bears - rendered in his characteristic style. Guyot's art is indeed singular, although it bears the hallmarks of the great animal painters who preceded him, in particular François Pompon (1855-1933) and Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1909), in the simplification he applied to his volumes while animating their subject matter. Guyot's works are characterized by this naturalistic simplicity. Georges-Lucien Guyot presented his work at numerous salons and exhibited in a number of prestigious galleries, including Bernheim Jeune (1921) and Malherbes - testimony to the success he was privileged to enjoy during his lifetime. In 1931, he was also chosen by Pompon to join the famous Groupe des Douze, with whom he exhibited at the Hôtel Ruhlmann in 1932 and 1933. A retrospective exhibition was held the following decade, in 1943, at the Salon des Indépendants. Popular with museums and collectors of wildlife art, his highly sought-after works are now divided between public and private collections.