Henri Navarre Blown Glass Vase With Metallic Inclusions

Henri Navarre was born in Paris on April 4, 1885. A wood sculptor in 1902, at the Bernard Palissy school, and a chaser, goldsmith, and craftsman, in 1905 he was admitted to the École Supérieure Nationale des Beaux-Arts, from which he left to pursue technical training at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers (Lucien Magne workshop). There he studied stained glass and mosaic. From 1906 to 1911, he practiced stone carving on building facades, creating models for large terracotta figures. In 1924, he produced the sculptures and stained-glass windows for "L'Intransigeant" and in 1938 a large vase for the French Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. Henri Navarre was a member of the Salon d'Automne and the Société des Artistes Décorateurs, of which he was vice-president. He was also a member of the jury for the École Supérieure Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Prix de Rome for the Conseil Supérieur de l'Enseignement des Beaux-Arts. He was an Officer of the Legion of Honor since 1947. Goldsmith, glassmaker, medal engraver, and sculptor, Henri Navarre was a complete artist. He created his glass sculptures not by carving but by stamping them, like ceramics in a mold. By playing with all the effects created by the fluid, living material, he obtains bright areas, bursts of transparency or a rough matte finish which make each of his masks, torsos and in particular the great Christ of Ile de France a work in which the glass paste and fire collaborate intimately with the creative will of the artist.