Michel Zadounaisky (1903-1983) Art Deco Console

Large console from the Art Deco period 1930-40 signed hollow on the crosspiece -ZADOUNAISKY- (Michel Zadounaisky 1903-1953 famous Lyonnais ironworker of the Art Deco period). Structure in thick hammered wrought iron with a geminate pattern with uprights enclosing patterns featuring scrolls and interlacing, the top is in marble. Dimensions: 1 m 05 cm long X 1 m 04 cm high X 28 cm deep. Michel Zadounaisky comes from a large Russian family, born in Odessa, he was only thirteen when he moved to Lyon with his parents. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1919 then joined the Fournet chandelier factory where he perfected his skills in the art of wrought iron. In 1924, Zadounaisky set up his studio at 76 rue Béchevelin in Lyon, the same year he presented at the Salon d'Automne a console decorated with stylized roses in an interior by André Sornay. Influenced by the aesthetics of his time, he exhibited a radiator in the Art Deco style at the Salon de la metallurgie du fer in Lyon in 1926. He continued to exhibit and produce pieces in the form of furniture and lighting. Each work could require from him twelve to eighteen months of work. In 1946, he produced the Rhinoceros which entered the National Museum of Modern Art in the city of Paris in 1957. The artist received numerous awards including the Gold Medal for artisanal recognition. Michel Zadounaisky has built up an entirely personal and original repertoire giving both an idea of power and lightness making us forget the rusticity of the material used, this iron sculptor has been able to transcend wrought iron and reveal all the preciousness of this material through games of curves, vegetal intertwining and amazing animal shapes. (Cf. Artcurial Lyon Michel Rambert, Sculptor Michel Zadounaisky in the spotlight at Artcurial Lyon on June 5, 7 and 18, 2012, Press release April 2012)