Paul Moreau Vauthier

PAUL MOREAU VAUTHIER (France, 1871- 1936).
"Cyclist".
Silver-plated bronze.
Signed.
Measurements: 37 x 13 x 14 cm.

Paul Moreau-Vauthier represents in this occasion a cyclist not in full action, but in a triumphant and sure attitude: the athlete appears erect, with crossed arms and raised head, transmitting pride, self-control and competitive spirit. The body is modeled with firm and simplified anatomy, emphasizing the muscular legs and stylized silhouette, while the bicycle is barely suggested at the base, subordinated to the human figure, making the athlete a modern symbol of strength, discipline and prestige, very much in line with the exaltation of the athlete characteristic of early twentieth-century art.

Our specimen is, therefore, an interesting example of the modern fascination with sport which, during the Art Deco era, ceased to be understood solely as aristocratic entertainment and 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.

Moreau-Vauthier first achieved public notoriety with his statue La Parisienne, exhibited at the Exposition Universelle (1900) in Paris, and is perhaps best known today for his wall commemorating the victims of the revolutions (Mur des Fédérés) on Avenue Gambetta in Paris. He also created an allegorical work to commemorate Louis Blériot's first airplane flight across the English Channel in 1909. His work was also part of the art competitions for the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympic Games.