Alexandre Kéléty 1874-1940 Magnificent Chryséléphantine “a Heart To Take” 1920 Art Deco

Alexandre Kéléty 1874-1940 Height: 29.5cm This artist of Hungarian origin, who arrived in France at the end of the 1st World War is best known as a sculptor, in particular animal, but he also made chryselephantines. The one presented here, entitled a heart to be taken, is typically Art Deco, both in terms of the materials used (ivory and bronze) and the chosen theme of the dancer. The bust of the character is in ivory. The modeling of the lines is very fine. The polychromy on the face emphasizes the lips and eyebrows. The hairstyle is typical of the 1920s. The attitude of the woman who brings her arms together under her chin evokes a gesture of childish shyness. The puffy, heart-shaped dress gives its name to the work. It is made of bronze and is adorned with a multitude of small hearts, patterns continuously repeated and separated by undulating lines. The artist's use of the acid-on-metal process gives it its black and golden patina. The shod feet appear under the dress and the figure is standing on a light veined marble plinth, the color of which is carefully chosen to match the colors of the body and the dress. The whole exudes an irresistible charm. This Art Deco style is a movement which, for the first time in the history of Art, will have had a global reach. He was interested in all the decorative arts: architecture, furniture, clothing, jewelry, lamps, cutlery and all other kinds of objects. It will culminate in 1925, having marked an era, born and then died with it, with the dreams of a bourgeoisie who will lead Europe and the world to the catastrophes of the 1940s.