Demétre Haralamb Chipaurs

DEMÉTRE HARALAMB CHIPARUS (Romania, 1886 - Paris, 1947).
"The hunt".
Metal, patinated zinc alloy and marble base.
Bibliography: Alberto Shayo, "Chiparus Master of Art Deco", Second Edition. Second Edition. New York: Abbeville, 1999. p. 59.
Measurements: 86,5 x 93 x 14,5 cm.
Bronze sculpture representing a hunter (often identified as a male figure, although sometimes related to Diana, the goddess of hunting, in other interpretations) next to a panther. The author has captured a peak moment of the action thus highlighting the movement and elegance characteristic of Chiparus' work.
There is a related version, sometimes called "Accident de Chasse" (Hunting Accident), which may depict a slightly different scene or arrangement.
Born in Dorohoi, Romania, Chiparus is currently the most highly regarded sculptor of the Art Deco period. He began his training in 1909 in Italy, where he was taught by the sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. In 1912 he moved to Paris and entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he was taught by Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. Chiparus exhibited his first works, in a realistic style, at the Paris Salon of 1914. He already used a combination of materials, bronze and ivory, which from then on would be frequent in his production. An Art Deco sculptor, he produced his best works between 1914 and 1933. His sculptures were admired for their brilliant decorative effect and originality, as well as for the attractiveness of their subjects. Chiparus was inspired by Russian ballets, French theater and early motion pictures to create his personal figures, stylized and elegant, with graceful movement and dynamic composition. Another of his main influences was ancient Egypt, following the discovery and excavation of the tomb of Tuntankhamun. Throughout his career he exhibited only occasionally at the Paris Salon, and during World War II he was forced to interrupt his production. By the early 1940s his work had virtually no audience, but the artist continued to sculpt for himself, producing animal figures in the Art Deco style. In 1942 and 1943, Chiparus exhibited his sculptures "Polar Bear", "American Bison" and "Pelican" at the Salon. Dimitri Chiparus is currently represented in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and in the Museo de Art Nouveau y Art Déco Casa Lis in Salamanca, among others, as well as in prominent private collections around the world.