59 - LUCIEN GIBERT

LUCIEN GIBERT "Bust of Jean Mermoz" Bronze. Signed. Measurements: 43 x 45 x 32 cm. The sculpture is an Art Deco bronze bust of the legendary French aviator Jean Mermoz. This celebrated work was created in the 1930s. It features a distinct Art Deco aesthetic, cast in bronze with an aged green patina and typically mounted on a black marble base.Gibert sculpted the aviation pioneer with a determined and courageous expression, emphasizing dynamism and the spirit of adventure through the subtle, textured movement of his hair. There are numerous authorized copies and variations of this sculptural portrait, one of which is officially preserved at the prestigious Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget, France. Lucien Gibert was a prominent French sculptor and medalist, a key figure in the Art Deco movement and in monumental and figurative sculpture in France during the 20th century. He began his artistic training working in his father’s cabinetmaking workshop. After enrolling at the School of Fine Arts in Saint-Étienne, he moved to Paris in 1921 to study at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, under the tutelage of the renowned sculptor Jean Boucher. He was noted for his monumental depictions of the human body, combining muscular expressiveness with the clean, dynamic, and stylized lines characteristic of the Art Deco style. He completed numerous institutional commissions for public spaces and infrastructure in France, including the statue *La Géante de Mer* (1948) in the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and sculptures for the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.