François Brochet, Homage to Balthus, Bronze

François Brochet (1925-2001)
The Beautiful Hairstyle (Homage to Balthus)
Signed and numbered bronze 2/8
ANPIRE stamp
Height: 30 cm

Born in 1925 in Paris, he was the son of the painter and playwright Henri Brochet. He received training in dance, theater, and puppetry from his family. In 1941, he began an apprenticeship with the sculptor of sacred art, Fernand Py, from whom he learned direct wood carving and polychromy. This training confirmed his desire to continue artisanal traditions, particularly that of direct carving.

A visit to Le Corbusier also made a strong impression on him. In 1946, he settled in Auxerre, where he created three polychrome stones, each four meters high, for the Technical College. His first solo exhibition took place in 1948 in Paris, where he was noticed by the critic Michel Florisoone.

From 1948 to 1958, François Brochet was very active in goldsmithing and creating sacred art. In 1963, he received the Bourdelle Prize for Sculpture. He exhibited regularly in Paris in solo shows. He had a significant following in the United States, where solo exhibitions were held in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In 1960, he began work on his major work, the Massacre of the Innocents group, twelve statues of which were exhibited in 1962. This was followed by the Happy Family group, Silence, The Death of a Man (featuring four two-meter-tall figures), The Lovers, Homage to Le Corbusier, and The Flight.

From 1963 onward, Brochet worked in painting and watercolor, and created large woolen wall hangings. His figures in wood and sometimes polychrome stone, with empty eyes and anguished expressions, are intended to reflect the tradition of archaic folk art, highly prized in French imagery circles between the two world wars. His majestic bronze figures, very slender to the point of mannerism, display a stylization reminiscent of the 1930s.

Ref: 0ANLDAN1SZ