Françoise Salmon (1917-2014) - Lot 249

Françoise Salmon (1917-2014) Head of a man, 1968 Brown-green patina bronze proof, n°2/6 Émile Godard lost-wax casting Founder's stamp at base of neck Signed and dated at base of neck: "F. Salmon 68". H. 50 cm Related literature: - Dessins de sculpteurs de Rodin à nos jours, cat. exhibition, Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1966. - René Iché et grands sculpteurs contemporains, cat. exhibition, Narbonne, Musée d'art et d'histoire, 1970. In 1939, Françoise Salmon entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1940, World War II interrupted her studies and she joined the Resistance. She was deported to German camps between 1942 and 1945. On her return, thanks to a scholarship, she completed her studies and graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in 1950. A self-described "figurative artist", Salmon regularly exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, of which she was a member. Salmon produced several busts, including one of art critic Georges Besson (1963), Le poète Paul Éluard (1964) and Tête d'homme (1968), which is part of this series. She also received several commissions for monumental sculptures as part of the 1% artistic program, such as Oiseau en vol (1961-1970) for the Romain Rolland school complex in Argenteuil. Other monumental commissions include the Mémorial des déportés d'Auschwitz-Birkenau in the Père-Lachaise cemetery (1949) and Le déporté agonisant (1965) for the International Memorial at the Neuengamme Memorial Center in Hamburg. Close to the Groupe des Neuf, whose leading figures Jean Carton, Paul Cornet, Raymond Corbin, Jean Osouf and Juliette Darle were a reminder of the existence and persistence of a strong, independent figurative sculpture, Salmon exhibited with them in 1964 at the Galerie Vendôme in Paris.