42 - PAUL LANDOWSKI (Paris, 1875–1961).

PAUL LANDOWSKI (Paris, 1875–1961). “Élodie Blanchet.” Patinated bronze on a base of Belgian black marble. Bears the Barbedienne Foundry stamp. Signed. Measurements: 42 x 25 x 26 cm; 60 cm (height with base). This sculpture is an interesting example of the artist’s early work, still rooted in a naturalistic sensibility and an intimate approach to portraiture. The female figure is rendered with remarkable delicacy in the definition of her facial features, her expression, and the modeling of her form. The serenity of the face and the meticulous rendering of the clothing highlight the sculptor’s early technical skill and his ability to capture the psychological individuality of the subject. The treatment of the bronze’s surface, enhanced by the patina, accentuates the hallmarks of light and shadow, lending depth to the features and plasticity to the folds of the garment. The original model is part of the collections of the Musée Paul Landowski, which is part of the Musée des Années Trente in Boulogne-Billancourt, an institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the sculptor’s work. The presence of the Barbedienne foundry’s stamp is of particular historical and artistic interest. The foundry founded by Ferdinand Barbedienne was one of the leading French artistic foundries of the 19th and early 20th centuries, internationally recognized for the technical quality of its bronzes and for its collaboration with prominent sculptors of the time. Paul-Maximilien Landowski (Paris, 1875–1961), a French sculptor of Polish descent, was one of the most prominent figures in European monumental sculpture during the first half of the 20th century.Trained in the Parisian academic milieu, he developed an artistic career characterized by the pursuit of a humanist ideal. He gained recognition upon winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1900. Throughout his career, he received major monumental commissions, most notably the famous Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, created in collaboration with engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and unveiled in 1931. Landowski also held important institutional positions: he served as director of the French Academy in Rome, based at the Villa Medici, from 1933 to 1937, and was a member of the Sculpture Section of the Académie des Beaux-Arts from 1926 until his death in 1961.