Emmanuel Villanis

EMMANUEL VILLANIS (France, 1858–1914).
“Female Figure.”
Terracotta.
Signed.
Measurements: 75 cm (height).
A French sculptor of Italian origin associated with the Art Nouveau movement, Emmanuel Villanis studied at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where Odoardo Tabacchi was among his teachers. After returning from Italy, Villanis settled in Montmartre in 1885, a Parisian neighborhood he would never leave. One of the most prolific sculptors of the late 19th century, he was an artist of his time, depicting in his work heroines from opera, literature, sacred history, and mythology, such as Aida, Judith, Delilah, Lucretia, and Cinderella. He also depicted figures such as “The Bohemian,” “The Castilian Woman,” and “The Parisian Woman,” as well as allegorical figures (“Painting” and “Sculpture”). He also created female busts in bronze, cast by the Société des Bronzes de Paris. His works were exported from Paris all over the world, especially to the United States. Villanis was also known for his chryselephantine sculptures, always executed in his personal Art Nouveau style. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français between 1886 and 1910, receiving an honorable mention in 1892, and participated in the 1889 Paris World’s Fair—where he won an award—and the 1903 Chicago World’s Fair. Today, Villanis’s works are primarily found in private collections.