341 - PAUL BELMONDO (1898, Mustapha near Algiers – 1982, Ivry-sur-Seine)

PAUL BELMONDO (1898, Mustapha near Algiers – 1982, Ivry-sur-Seine) Set of 2 medals Paul Belmondo was a leading French sculptor and medalist of the 20th century whose work follows the neoclassical tradition. He is also a well-known figure in the Belmondo family: he is the father of actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and producer Alain Belmondo. Born in French Algeria, in Mustapha (a suburb of Algiers), into a modest family of Italian origin, he spent his entire youth there and began sculpting at the age of 13, before studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Algiers under Georges Béguet. He won the Grand Prix Artistique d’Algérie in 1932 and never forgot his native country: in particular, he created the high reliefs for the Foyer Civique in Algiers and served on the jury for scholarships at the Villa Abd-el-Tif (an artists’ residence in Algiers). The National Museum of Fine Arts in Algiers also houses a significant collection of his works.