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Emile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929)

Emile-Antoine Bourdelle is a renowned French sculptor, painter and draughtsman. Initially trained in cabinetmaking, Bourdelle decided to enter the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse in 1876. In 1884 he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he studied successively under Falguière, Dalou, and Rodin. Bourdelle differed sharply from Rodin in his preoccupation with the relation of sculpture to architecture. Seeking his inspiration in archaic Greece and the Gothic, he achieved his greatest success in heroic and monumental works such as Hercules, of which there is a cast in the Metropolitan Museum; his colossal Virgin of Alsace; his bas-reliefs for the Théâtre des Champs Élysées; and his monument to Americans who died in World War I (Pointe de Grave). He is also noted for his numerous portrait heads.

Bourdelle believed that "sculpture is the realization of an object." He strived to follow the example of nature by creating objects that are endowed of meaning and emotional strength. Bourdelle draws a clear distinction between his works and objects produced by machine, which lack emotion and do not stem from the example of nature.

The Musee Bourdelle situated at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle, Paris was created in 1949 following a donation by his wife and daughter to the Mayor of Paris. It is located at the site where Bourdelle had his studios. Today, several hundred of his works are kept there.

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