Colette Marchal Simon

COLETTE MARCHAL SIMON (France, active in the 20th century).
"Le goal", 1970.
Bronze, 1/8th copy.
Signed with initials and justified.
Measurements: 105 x 30 x 29 cm.

The sculpture in tender is particularly interesting for two reasons. First, because it responds completely to the sculptural language of Colette Marchal-Simon for its modern figurative treatment, simplified volumes and rough and expressive surfaces, where the texture of the bronze reinforces the sense of movement and physical strength characteristic of the French artist; second, because it condenses and exemplifies the modern fascination with sport, which during the Art Deco era 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.

Its powerful aesthetic shows a soccer goalkeeper with his arms raised, captured in an instant of tension and dynamism, whether in the gesture of stopping the ball or in an expression of celebration.

Colette Marchal-Simon was an artist who specialized mainly in bronze sculptures of stylized human figures, as well as drawings, lithographs and artistic jewelry. Works such as the one now on auction are a clear reflection of the success of her production and stand out as excellent representations of the relevance that sport acquired throughout the 20th century.