Charles Auffret (1929-2001) - Lot 257

Charles Auffret (1929-2001) Bacchante, 1969 Black patina bronze proof, n°3/8 Lost-wax casting Jean-Marc Bodin Foundry stamp (on the edge of the right-hand terrace) Signed (on the edge of the terrace): "CH. AUFFRET 38 x 17 x 13 cm Bibliography - Charles Auffret (1929-2001): sculpteur et dessinateur, cat. exhibition, Mont-de-Marsan, Musée Despiau-Wlérick (August 10-September 16, 2012), Mont-de-Marsan, L'Atelier des Brisants; Paris, galerie Malaquais, 2012, repr. - Charles Auffret (1929-2001), Sculptures-dessins, Voiron, Musée Mainssieux, 2002, repr. After immersing himself in Burgundian sculpture while studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, Charles Auffret continued his training at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1958, he set up his studio in the Buttes-Chaumont district and discovered the work of Charles Despiau, Robert Wlérick and Charles Malfray. In 1964, he was awarded the Prix Godard by the Groupe des Neuf, created in 1963 under the aegis of Juliette Darle. Jean Carton, Raymond Martin, Marcel Damboise, Paul Cornet, Raymond Corbin, Léon Indenbaum, Léopold Kretz, Gunnar Nilsson and Jean Osouf, heirs to Wlérick, Despiau, Malfray and Gimond, united around a common conception of sculpture, reaffirming their direct filiation with so-called "independent" sculpture. He went on to win several awards, including the Ricard Foundation's International Sculpture Prize in 1965, the Gold Medal of the Salon des Artistes Français in 1975, and the Baudry Sculpture Prize in 1986. He received several private commissions, such as L'Éveil in 1966, and public ones, such as L'Esprit des Lois for the French Senate in 1985. Monographic exhibitions were organized in 1972 at the Orangerie du Luxembourg and in 1974 at the Atelier de Ville-d'Avray. After his death, several retrospectives paid tribute to his work: at the Musée Mainssieux in Voiron, at the Villa Médicis in Rome and at the Musée Despiau-Wlérick in Mont-de-Marsan. La Bacchante is part of the cycle of draped women that Auffret created in various postures, such as Figure drapée (circa 1960) and Figure drapée, ou La Médiation (1965). They reflect Auffret's mastery of modelling. The sculptor transcribes the fragile balance of this seated bacchante with delicacy and firmness. The raised leg and slender bust give the model an élan that the sculptor translates with great vitality.