Frédéric Focht

FRÉDÉRIC FOCHT (1879-1937).
"Skier in Zermatt", c. 1925.
Patinated bronze; Portoro marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 44 x 45 x 28 cm.

Bronze of the Art Deco period representing a skier in full descent, leaning looking for the moment of maximum tension. The feminine figure, with scarf to the wind, projects torso and knees to the front, while the sticks extended behind her back and the agitated hair underline the thrust of the descent. The composition integrates figure and landscape into a single block, with the base in the form of a snowy cornice becoming an essential part of the work.

The title evokes Zermatt, the legendary Swiss alpine town at the foot of the Matterhorn, whose conquest in 1865 made the Alps an iconic destination for modern sport and travel. In the 1920s and 1930s, skiing had become a symbol of distinction and avant-garde, and Art Deco artists incorporated it into their imagery as an expression of speed and mastery of the body over nature.

Frédéric Focht, trained in the workshop of sculptor Falguière, gained early recognition at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he exhibited at the age of 21 and received a Medal of Honor. His work is characterized by a fascination with movement, speed and the human figure in tension with technical modernity.