15 - EMMANUEL VILLANIS (France, 1858 - 1914).

EMMANUEL VILLANIS (France, 1858 - 1914). "Lucrece. Marble. Exhibitions: "European sculpture of the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014. Signed and titled. Measurements: 40 x 50 x 26 cm. A French sculptor of Italian origin, associated with the Art Nouveau movement, Emmanuel Villanis studied at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where he counted among his teachers Odoardo Tabacchi. After his return from Italy, Villanis settled in 1885 in Montmartre, a Parisian neighborhood he would never leave. One of the most productive sculptors of the late 19th century, he was an artist of his time, reflecting in his work heroines of opera, literature, sacred history and mythology, such as Aida, Judith, Delilah, Lucretia or Cendrillon. He also tackled types such as "La bohemia", "La castellana" or "La parisina", as well as allegories ("La Pintura", "La Escultura"). He also made female busts in bronze, cast by the Societé des Bronzes de Paris. His pieces were exported from Paris all over the world, especially to the United States. Villanis was also known for his chryselephantine sculptures, always in a personal Art Nouveau style. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français between 1886 and 1910, being awarded an honorable mention in 1892, and participated in the Universal Exhibitions of Paris in 1889, where he was awarded a prize, and Chicago in 1903. Today Villanis is mainly represented in private collections. Exhibitions: "European sculpture of the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014. Bibliography consulted: "Una mica d'escultura, si un plau! L'escultura europea del segle XX", Jorge Egea (introduction); Juan C. Bejarano (cataloguing and biographical texts), Irene Gras (biographical texts) and Cristina Rodríguez (biographical texts), 2014, Infiesta Editor. p. 318.