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

EMMANUEL VILLANIS (France, 1858 - 1914). "The Sibyl". Bronze. Exhibitions: "European sculpture in the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014. Signed. With the bronze artist's stamp. Size: 70 x 52 x 35 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 Odoardo Tabacchi among his teachers. After his return from Italy, Villanis settled in 1885 in Montmartre, a Parisian neighbourhood he never left. One of the most productive sculptors of the late 19th century, he was an artist of his time, reflecting in his work heroines from opera, literature, sacred history and mythology, such as Aida, Judith, Delilah, Lucretia and Cendrillon. He also depicted types such as "La bohemia", "La castellana" and "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, receiving an honourable mention in 1892, and took part in the Universal Exhibitions of Paris in 1889, where he received an award, and Chicago in 1903. Today Villanis is mainly represented in private collections.