Bronze Sculpture for Sale
France
• 1892
Biography
Pierre Le Faguays (1892-1962) is one of the major figures of French Art Deco sculpture. Born in Rezé, near Nantes, he studied with sculptor James Vibert at the École des Beaux-Arts de Genève, where he acquired a solid mastery of modeling and the representation of movement. From the 1920s, he established himself as an essential artist of Art Deco, developing an elegant and refined style, close to that of Demetre Chiparus, while affirming a singular plastic identity.
Specializing in figurative sculpture, Pierre Le Faguays creates works in bronze, ivory, terracotta, alabaster, marble, stone, wood, cast iron, and glass paste. His work celebrates mainly the female figure, dancers, athletes, allegories, and nudes, whose slender silhouettes delicately convey the movement, grace, and momentum characteristic of the Art Deco aesthetic. Inspired notably by the famous antique statuettes of Tanagra, he favors clean lines and a harmonious balance between stylization and realism.
Starting in 1922, he regularly exhibited at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français, where he received an honorable mention in 1926, then a new distinction in the Sculpture section in 1927. He also participated in the Salon d'Automne as well as the Exposition internationale des Arts décoratifs et industriels modernes of 1925, within the pavilion of Arthur Goldscheider, a founding event of Art Deco. In 1937, he contributed to the Exposition internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie moderne in Paris by creating notably two monumental bas-reliefs for the Civil Aviation pavilion, thus affirming his role in the great decorative projects of his time.
Throughout his career, Pierre Le Faguays collaborated with the greatest French publishers and foundries, including Max Le Verrier, Susse Frères, Etling, Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann, and Arthur Goldscheider. He also worked with sculptors Marcel Bouraine, Sibylle May, and Édouard Cazaux, notably within the group La Stèle et Évolution. Very prolific, he signed part of his production under the pseudonyms Fayral and Guerbe, borrowed respectively from his mother's name and that of his wife, the sculptor Raymonde Guerbe.
Today, the sculptures of Pierre Le Faguays are featured in many public and private collections, notably at the Musée d'Orsay, the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, and the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Déco Casa Lis in Salamanca. Sought after on the international art market, they embody the elegance, dynamism, and refinement of Art Deco sculpture, making Pierre Le Faguays one of the most emblematic artists of this major movement of the 20th century.
Nationality
Themes
Discover other selections of artworks