12 - Paul LANDOWSKI (1875–1961)

Paul LANDOWSKI (1875–1961) Icarus Model created in 1947 Bronze cast with a brown patina Signed “P. Landowski” on the pedestal Bears the foundry’s stamp “LANDOVSKI FONDEUR CIRE PERDUE” Numbered “V/VIII” H. 120.5 cm Provenance: Collection of Mr. D. from the Vendée region, Logis de Chaligny. Related literature: Michèle Lefrançois, Paul Landowski: l’oeuvre sculpté, Grâne, ed. Créphis, 2009, model listed under no. 47.01, p. 386. Paul Landowski: The Stone of Eternity, exhibition catalog, Péronne, Historial de la Grande Guerre, March 2–April 25, 2004, Paris, Somogy Éditions d’Art, 2004, model illustrated on p. 67. Related works: -Paul Landowski, *The Fall of Icarus*, bronze, cast by Rudier, dim. 119 x 24 x 21 cm, Paris, Petit Palais, Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris, inv. PPS3656; -Paul Landowski, The Fall of Icarus, bronze, signed “P. LANDOWSKI,” Blanchet Landowski stamp, numbered “1/8,” H. 119 cm, Museums of the City of Boulogne-Billancourt, Landowski Museum, inv. 1986.1.1. Fascinated by the rise of aviation, which he witnessed firsthand, and steeped in the mythological legends that shaped his art, Landowski found the myth of Icarus to be a particularly inspiring subject. In 1930, the sculptor incorporated the triumphant figure of Icarus into the monument erected in Muret (Lot-et-Garonne) in honor of aviation pioneer Clément Ader. In 1947, toward the end of his long and brilliant career, Landowski chose a completely different vision of the hero, depicting Daedalus’s son in his fall, his wings broken, breaking with the traditional iconography of the conqueror of Earth’s gravity. Two copies of this model are preserved in public collections: one cast by Alexis Rudier at the Petit Palais Museum, and the other—like our copy—cast by Blanchet-Landowski at the Landowski Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt.