Antoine Bourdelle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antoine Bourdelle
Born	Antoine Bourdelle (1861-10-30)30 October 1861 Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne, France
Died	1 October 1929(1929-10-01) (aged 67) Le Vésinet, France
Nationality	French
Known for	Sculpture

Antoine Bourdelle (born Émile Antoine Bordelles; October 30, 1861 – October 1, 1929) was a very important French sculptor and teacher. He created many artworks.

Bourdelle learned from the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. Later, he taught other well-known artists like Alberto Giacometti and Henri Matisse. He was a key artist in the Art Deco movement. His work helped change art from older styles to modern sculpture.

Today, his old studio in Paris is a museum called the Musée Bourdelle. You can find it at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, France.

Antoine Bourdelle's Early Life

Antoine Bourdelle was born in Montauban, France, on October 30, 1861. His father was a skilled wood craftsman. At just 13 years old, Antoine left school to work in his father's workshop. This is where he started carving his first sculptures from wood.

In 1876, when he was 15, he got a scholarship to study at the School of Fine Arts in Toulouse. He was very independent and didn't always follow the school's rules. In 1884, at age 24, he earned a high spot in the competition to enter the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There, he worked in the studio of Alexandre Falguière. He also spent time in the studio of Jules Dalou, who lived nearby.

Bourdelle's Career as an Artist

In 1885, Antoine Bourdelle showed his art at a big exhibition called the Salon. He won an award for his sculpture, The First Victory of Hannibal. He then rented a studio at 16 Impasse du Main. He worked in this studio for the rest of his life.

In 1887, he left Falguière's studio. Inspired by the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, he began making sculptures of the composer. He would create about 40 such sculptures over his career.

Working with Auguste Rodin

In September 1893, Bourdelle joined the studio of Auguste Rodin. Rodin was one of the most famous sculptors of that time. Bourdelle worked with Rodin for 15 years. In 1895, Bourdelle received his first big project. It was a war monument for his hometown of Montauban. His design was very different from traditional monuments. This caused some controversy. Rodin helped him, and the monument was finally put up in 1902.

By 1900, Bourdelle started showing his own unique style. This was different from Rodin's work. He made a famous sculpture called a bust of Apollo. In the same year, Bourdelle, Rodin, and another sculptor named Desbois opened a free sculpture school. One of their students was Henri Matisse, who later became a very famous artist. However, the school did not last long.

Bourdelle in his studio sketching Grace Christie

In 1905, Bourdelle had his first solo art show. It was at the gallery of a foundry owner named Hébrand. With Hébrand's help, Bourdelle could create larger sculptures. This helped him become more recognized. In 1906, his father passed away. Antoine then changed his first name to simply Antoine, in honor of his father. He married his second wife, Cléopatre Sevastos. She and their daughter, Rhodia, often inspired his artwork.

Becoming an Independent Artist

In 1908, Bourdelle left Rodin's studio to work on his own. In 1909, he showed a new important work called Hercules the Archer. He also began teaching at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. His students there included Alberto Giacometti and Adaline Kent.

In 1913, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées opened in Paris. Bourdelle designed the decorations on the outside and inside. This work was a big step towards the Art Deco style. It was also important for modern art. He also showed his art in New York at the 1913 Armory Show. He helped start the Parisian Salon des Tuileries and was its vice-president.

During the First World War, he stayed in Paris. He worked on a large monument for Argentina, honoring General Alvear. This monument was unveiled in Buenos Aires in 1925. In 1929, his first major public sculpture in Paris was unveiled. It was a monument to the Polish hero Adam Mickiewicz. You can see it on Place d'Alma.

Death and Legacy

Monument to Adam Mickiewicz, 1929, Jardin d'Erevan, 8th arr., Paris

Antoine Bourdelle's health was not good. He passed away near Paris on October 1, 1929. He was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.

Bourdelle Museums

Today, the Musée Bourdelle in Paris is located where Bourdelle lived and worked. It's at 18 rue Antoine Bourdelle, a small street near the Gare Montparnasse. The museum includes his house, studio, and garden. He worked there from 1884 until he died in 1929.

In the 1930s, his wife opened his art studio for people to visit. In 1949, his wife Cléopâtre and daughter donated his studio to the city of Paris. It then officially opened as the Musée Bourdelle. The street was also renamed rue Antoine Bourdelle in his honor.

A second museum, the Bourdelle Garden-Museum, is in Égreville, France. His daughter and son-in-law started it in 1969. This museum has 56 of Bourdelle's sculptures displayed in a beautiful garden.

Art Collections Worldwide

Antoine Bourdelle's sculptures are in many public art collections around the world. Some of these include:

• Musée d'Orsay (Paris)
• National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo)
• List Visual Arts Center at MIT (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Cleveland Museum of Art
• National Museum of Art of Romania
• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
• Courtauld Institute of Art (London)
• Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (Rome)
• Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington D.C.)
• Honolulu Museum of Art
• Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth, Texas)
• Kröller-Müller Museum (Otterlo, Netherlands)
• Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires)
• National Galleries of Scotland
• National Gallery of Australia
• Musée Ingres (Montauban)
• Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
• Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum (Antwerp, Belgium)
• Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Bourdelle's Family Life

Photo (c. 1913) of Antoine Bourdelle with his wife Cléopâtre Sevastos, and daughter Rhodia Dufet Bourdelle.

In 1904, Bourdelle married artist Stephanie van Parys. She often posed for his sculptures. They had a son named Pierre Bourdelle (c.1903–1966). Pierre also became an artist, known for his work in the United States. Antoine and Stephanie later divorced in 1910.

In 1918, Bourdelle married his former art student, Cléopâtre Sevastos. She also served as a model for him. They had a daughter named Rhodia Bourdelle (1911–2002). Rhodia later became an art curator.

Awards and Honors

Antoine Bourdelle received several important honors during his life:

• In 1909, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour.
• In 1919, he became an Officer of the Legion of Honor.
• In 1924, he was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honor.

Students of Antoine Bourdelle

Many artists studied with Antoine Bourdelle and became famous themselves. Some of them include:

Images for kids

• 

  The Great Warrior of Montauban, bronze, (1898), Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.

• 

  Day and Night, marble, 1903, Musée Bourdelle, Paris

• 

  The Sculptress at Work, 1906, bronze, Stanford Museum, Stanford University, California

• 

  Bust of Ingres, Musée Ingres-Bourdelle, Montauban (1908)

• 

  Apollo with three of the nine muses, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1910–12)

• 

  La Grande Penelope, bronze, 1912, Montauban

• 

  Monument to Alvear Horse, Trammell Crow Sculpture Garden, Dallas, Texas (1913–25)

• 

  Dying Centaur, 1914, bronze, Musée Ingres-Bourdelle, Montauban

• 

  The Virgin of Alsace, 1919–21, Edinburgh, Scotland

• 

  Monument to General Carlos M. de Alvear, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

• 

  Monument titled La France) (1922), erected 18 June 1948, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Palais de Tokyo

• 

  Bust of Jean Moreas, bronze, National Sculpture Garden, Athens, Greece

• 

  Bust of Gustave Eiffel at the Eiffel Tower France

• 

  Sappho, 1925 Montauban France

See also

In Spanish: Antoine Bourdelle para niños