Antoine Bofill

ANTOINE BOFILL (France, active between 1894 - 1939).
"Character on sled in Baqueira Beret, Pyrenees".
Bronze. White marble base.
Signed.
Measurements: 35 x 36 x 25 cm.

An interesting work within the production of Antoine Bofill, this sculpture condenses and exemplifies the modern fascination for sport, which during the Art Decó period ceased to be understood only as an aristocratic entertainment to become a symbol of the essential values of modernity: energy, discipline, dynamism, health, competitiveness and physical beauty. France was one of the great epicenters of this phenomenon, and art immediately incorporated this new exaltation of the body and movement.

The sculpture in tender reflects the narrative and dynamic style characteristic of Bofill and evokes the alpine and mountain environment associated with places like Baqueira Beret. The white marble of the base stands out, simulating snow. It represents a man dressed in traditional winter clothing, sitting on a small sled and holding the ropes with a concentrated gesture, as if he were preparing to slide down the snow.

Antoine Bofill, a French sculptor active at the end of the 19th century and mainly during the first quarter of the 20th century, worked both in sculpture, usually of small size, and as a decorative object in bronze and ceramics. His sculpture usually deals with costumbrist or oriental themes.