Félix Benneteau

FELIX BENNETEAU (Paris, 1879 - Nogent-sur-Marne, 1963).
"Ballerina".
Lost wax cast silver bronze. Marble pedestal.
Signed.
With Leblanc-Barbedienne foundry stamp, Paris.
The pedestal is missing.
Measurements: 68 x 51 x 20 cm.

Ornamental sculpture in round bulk with the form of a beautiful woman of stylized but naturalistic anatomy, executing a dynamic dance step, standing on one foot, with one leg raised, the body inclined and the face looking forward. It is a realistic work in its modeling but rigorous and geometric in its composition, perfectly reflecting the aesthetic basis of Art Deco. On the other hand, the figure is represented naked to avoid any temporal reference, seeking an ideal and absolute image of movement, without concessions to decorative or accessory elements.

Félix Auguste Benneteau-Desgrois was born in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, rue de Ménilmontant, where his father was an eyewear manufacturer. Admitted to the National School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1904, he entered the studios of Alexandre Falguière, Antonin Mercié and then Denys Puech. In 1904 he obtained a second Grand Prix de Rome1 and was crowned, in 1909, with the first Grand Prix. He became a resident of Villa Medici in Rome from January 1910 to December 1913. Appointed professor at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, Félix Benneteau-Desgrois had as a student the African-American sculptor Augusta Savage. He participated regularly in various art exhibitions, including the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Indépendants3 between 1895 and 1945, and the Salon des artistes français. He died in Nogent-sur-Marne, November 5, 1963.