195 - Charles AUFFRET (1929–2001)

Charles AUFFRET (1929–2001) Gabrielle Wiping Her Foot, 1964 Terracotta sculpture Signed and numbered 5/8 31.5 x 28.5 x 16 cm In 1964, Charles Auffret created two sculptures in the same vein: *Gabrielle Wiping Her Foot* and *Woman at Her Toilet*. They marked the beginning of his career and introduced the public to this young, 35-year-old sculptor. With *Woman at Her Toilet*, Charles Auffret won the Godard Prize. For Auffret, sculpture is conceived as “drawing in space” and cannot be envisaged without the rigorous practice of drawing. In his view, it is also a form of architecture, hence his intensive study of form and structure. He does not feel the need to smooth or tighten the surface of his works like a Despiau or a Maillol; on the contrary, he leaves his modeling work visible, bearing witness to the immediacy of the creative gesture. In this respect, he aligns with the explorations of “sculpted Impressionism” undertaken by Rodin, Degas, and Medardo Rosso. After immersing himself in Burgundian sculpture while studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, Charles Auffret enrolled at the École nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1947. There, he studied under Alfred Jeanniot and Marcel Gimond. He set up his studio in the Buttes-Chaumont neighborhood in 1958 and discovered the work of Charles Despiau, Robert Wlérick, and Charles Malfray. In 1964, he received the Groupe des Neuf Prize. Following in the footsteps of the “Schnegg Gang” half a century earlier, the Groupe des Neuf was founded in 1963. Jean Carton, Raymond Martin, Marcel Damboise, Paul Cornet, Raymond Corbin, Léon Indenbaum, Léopold Kretz, Gunnar Nilsson, and Jean Osouf—heirs to Wlérick, Despiau, Malfray, and Gimond—came together around a shared vision of sculpture, reaffirming their direct connection to so-called “independent” sculpture. The following year, as the winner of the Paul Ricard Foundation’s International Sculpture Prize, Charles Auffret was invited to an artist-in-residence program on the Île de Bendor with his wife, the sculptor Arlette Ginioux. There, he created a monumental sculpture titled *L’Éveil*, a major work. He participated in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad, taught drawing at the Malebranche Academy and the Reims School of Fine Arts before being appointed professor at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. After his death, several retrospectives paid tribute to him: the Mainssieux Museum in Voiron, the Villa Medici in Rome, and the Despiau-Wlérick Museum in Mont-de-Marsan. (Learn more: www.charlesauffret.com). Related literature: Charles Auffret (1929–2001). Sculptor and Draftsman, exhibition catalog, Mont-de-Marsan, Despiau-Wlérick Museum, August 10–September 16, 2012, Mont-de-Marsan, L’Atelier des Brisants, 2012, p. 20, repr. (bronze cast).