Etienne Forestier

ETIENNE FORESTIER (active in the early 20th century).
"Rugby".
Patinated bronze.
Signed.
Measurements: 57 x 67 x 28 cm.

An interesting work within Etienne Forestier's production, this sculpture condenses and exemplifies the modern fascination for sport in general and rugby in particular. As we can see, the strength and dynamism of the athletes offered sculptors like Etienne Forestier an ideal opportunity to recreate themselves in the anatomical representation of the players, while allowing them to manifest an avant-garde spirit and a full connection with the aesthetic and cultural trends of the moment.

In the Art Deco era, sport was no longer understood solely as aristocratic entertainment, but became 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.

Étienne Forestier was a French sculptor and medalist active at the beginning of the 20th century, known especially for his decorative bronze works linked to sport and the early Art Deco style. His work developed in the context of the Belle Époque and the interwar period, when sports scenes gained great popularity in France as a symbol of modernity, dynamism and physical elegance. Forestier made sculptures and trophies inspired by various athletic disciplines, including cycling, rowing, athletics and also rugby, often depicting male figures in motion, with stylized anatomies and energetic poses. His pieces usually combine a strong sculptural sense with ornamental bases and refined finishes in bronze or patinated metals, very characteristic of French sports sculpture of the time.