Max Le Verrier

MAX LE VERRIER (Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1891 – Paris, 1973).
Art Deco lamp-sculpture. “Clarté,” a model created in 1928.
Green-patinated pewter, crackled glass globe, and Portoro marble base. On a polychrome wooden pedestal with a marble-like finish.
Signed “M Le Verrier” on the base.
It has isolated losses in the patina and some chipping on the marble.
Measurements: 98 x 14 x 48 cm (sculpture); 176 cm total height with pedestal.

Conceived in 1928, “Clarté” is one of Max Le Verrier’s most iconic creations and one of the most recognizable images in Art Deco decorative sculpture. The artist reinterpreted the classical allegory of light through a nude female figure, with a stylized anatomy and short hair, who embodies the ideals of modernity and elegance of the 1920s. The pronounced curvature of the body—with the head tilted back and the arms outstretched, holding a luminous sphere—creates a composition of extraordinary dynamism and balance. The green patina, with its antique feel, is marked by its contrast with the delicate texture of the crackled glass, which integrates sculpture and lighting into a single artistic concept.

The model, produced in various sizes, achieved widespread popularity and became one of the most representative pieces of the sculptor’s oeuvre. Its style synthesizes the revival of the classical figure with the geometric stylization and expressive movement characteristic of Art Deco. This piece is complemented by a tall decorative pedestal, whose imitation of Portoro marble harmonizes with the sculpture’s base.

Max Le Verrier was one of the leading figures in French decorative sculpture during the interwar period. Trained at the Geneva School of Fine Arts, he won a gold medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris and established his own foundry in 1926. Specializing in female figures, animals, and ornamental objects, he created works that combined sculptural quality with functionality. His famous “Clarté” model was featured in the exhibition “Lumières, je pense à vous,” held at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1985.