Albert Bouquillon (1908-1997) - Rest Ii, 1960

Albert Bouquillon (1908-1997)
Rest II, 1960
Terracotta Sculpture
Signed and justified "A. Book Ep. A"
20 x 25 x 21 cm
The work is listed in the catalogue raisonné of the artist under the n°1960-2-B

Son of a painter and decorator, Albert Bouquillon entered the Douai School of Fine Arts in 1924 and entered the Paris School of Fine Arts three years later. He was first interested in architecture before turning to sculpture. Winner of the First Grand Prix de Rome in 1934, he is a resident at the Villa Médicis, Académie de France in Rome.

Back in Paris in the early 1940s, Albert Bouquillon received his first official commissions from the Ministry of Fine Arts, the City of Paris and the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris. He continued in this direction with numerous monumental works installed in public spaces, including the sculpture by Lamartine for the gardens of the Palais de Longchamps in Marseille, as well as a bas-relief for the Douai Music Conservatory. Alongside the field of public statuary, Albert Bouquillon produced a large number of private works, sculptures, drawings and sketches. His research on the female nude is important, he explores in particular the theme of the figure at rest in different postures, but he is also interested in religious subjects as well as republican subjects.
Professor at the École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués, he was named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1956 and Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1960.

His style is in line with the research that emerged at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, in the wake of Antoine Bourdelle and Aristide Maillol, who stood out from the teachings of Auguste Rodin. The work we present is an illustration of this: while remaining figurative, the line is stylized, the form synthesized, reduced to its essential lines, the volumes accentuated and balanced. The terracotta technique used here is one of those he favours with patinated plaster and bronze.

Public collections
Roubaix, Museum of Art and Industry André Diligent - La Piscine
Douai, Chartreuse Museum
Bergues, Museum of Mont-de-Piété
Lewarde, Historic Mining Centre