Bronze, 1925, 94 Cm, Ary Bitter, Cast By Susse, “does Drinking”

Period: circa 1925, Art Deco, Beautiful lost-wax bronze, in very good condition on a white marble base, also in perfect condition

Signed: Ary Bitter, bears the inscriptions: Cast by SUSSE Frères Paris and Lost-wax bronze,

Artist listed and valued; Artprice estimate up to €10,500 for a similar bronze,

October 2, 2003 - Sotheby’s - Paris, France:

Two Does at the Fountain (identical to our bronze): Lot No. 7, Sculpture—Volume—Bronze, brown patina. Lost-wax casting, 24 x 92 cm

Hammer price: 8,500 € - Price including fees: €10,200

Sold with invoice and certificate.

Subject: Does drinking from a fountain held by a faun. This work served as a model for the construction of a monumental fountain.

Dimensions: length: 94 cm, height: 26 cm, depth: 17 cm.  - 16 kg.

Biography:

Ary Jean Léon Bitter 1883–1973

Bitter, born in Marseille on May 29, 1883, and died on June 14, 1973, in Paris, was a French sculptor.

In 1895, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, which was directed by Antoine Dominique MAGAUD and, in 1896, by Alphonse MOUTTE. Sculpture classes were taught by Emile ALDEBERT.

A member of the Société des artistes français and a student of Jules Coutan, Ary Bitter won a silver medal at the 1921 Salon des artistes français, followed by a gold medal in 1924, before being awarded an honorable mention.

He was commissioned to create monumental sculptures such as

1914: the monumental sculpture for the Food Pavilion at the Swiss National Exhibition in Bern.

In 1921, he created the war memorial in Sanary-sur-Mer (stone and bronze).

He also created the war memorials at the Saint-Jérôme (bronze) and Saint-Louis (stone) cemeteries in Marseille.

In 1925, Ary Bitter exhibited alongside Paul Sylvestre, Maximilien Fiot, Roger Godchaux, and Georges Guyot at the Susse Gallery on Boulevard de la Madeleine. That same year, he exhibited at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris; he then had twenty-nine of his works published by Susse during the interwar period and sixteen others by Les Neveux de J. Lehmann. His breakthrough came when he was declared “out of competition” at the 1932 Salon.

In 1937, Bitter participated in the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques in Paris, where he exhibited glassworks, chamotte stoneware, alongside Bouraine at the Palais de la Céramique, and *Héraklès*, a bronze sculpture, at the Palais du Métal, alongside Guyot, Guino, and Fiot.

In 1939, he received a commission from the FNAC for three small bronze gargoyles intended for the water outlets at the base of a monumental fountain in Pithiviers.

Two of his sculptures (“The Sun and the Sea” and “The World and Energy,” also known as “The Two Lions”) adorn the monumental staircase at the Marseille-Saint-Charles train station.

According to Édouard-Joseph, the Musée du Luxembourg once owned a stone statue by him depicting Diana. The work appears to be lost today, but the Musée de la Piscine in Roubaix possesses a *Diana the Huntress* that could correspond to this statue.

Ary Bitter was named a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor by decree on July 13, 1932.

Museums:

His works are on view in the following museums:

Paris: Musée National d’Art Moderne, *Reclining Woman*, terracotta (1936).

Marseille: Museum of Fine Arts, *Bacchus as a Child*, stone (1937). Madame Nathan, bronze.

Vernon: A.G. Poulain Municipal Museum, *Grand Fardier*, plaster.

Mont-de-Marsan: Despiau-Wlérick Museum, *Elephant and Baby Elephant*, bronze.

Nîmes: Museum of Bullfighting Traditions, 10 drawings

Roubaix: Museum of Art and Industry, Diana the Huntress, plaster (1925). mainly tableware, glazed terracotta (1948), drawings.

Nanterre: National Fund for Contemporary Art, gargoyles, bronze (1940).

Arles: Museon Arlaten, 42 drawings depicting Provence.

Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Leda and the Swan (silver plate).

Sold with invoice and certificate.

Bronze on view at our gallery in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (France) on weekends.

Free shipping within France

And upon request for international shipping

A1834