Robert COUTURIER (1905-2008) - Lot 36

Robert COUTURIER (1905-2008) Standing couple, 1947 Black patina bronze proof Signed, numbered E.A 2 and stamped Susse Fondeurs Paris on the rear base H : 71 cm W : 26 cm D : 13 cm Bibliography: "Robert Couturier" by Valérie Da Costa with the participation of Yves Gastou and Olivier Lorquin, Éditions Norma, Paris, 2000, reproduced and described on page 73. Born in Angoulême in 1905, Robert Couturier studied lithography in Paris, and was soon noticed by Aristide Maillol in 1928. Aristide Maillol was seduced by the "mal-foutu" aspect of his sculpture: "You, Couturier, in the mal-foutu genre, will do something very good". In 1938, he signed the manifesto Rupture with the group Forces Nouvelles and Nouvelle Génération group. This manifesto advocated a return to traditional artistic values and craftsmanship. Their artistic approach was to renew the representation of man. Between tradition and modernity, Robert Couturier proposes a new interpretation of the human figure. The inventor of allusive sculpture, he frees himself from classical form to bring about renewal.