This monograph on the sculptor François Pompon is unpublished in the editorial landscape. It traces the history and work of the artist. The book has two parts, with Pompon’s books of accounts: a bilingual illustrated biography, followed by the repertoire of works. Resolutely modern, François Pompon vivified the animal art of the early 20th century, by his original conception of the form and the emotion produced. However, he devoted most of his life to composing for other sculptors, until he began to study animals by choice and taste. Drawing on the principles of antiquity while challenging the conventions of traditional statuary, he created a realistic, suggestive and simplified style. Polar Bear carries the sculptor’s career to its peak and is today its symbol. Pompon represents the animal in its daily life, for itself and without staging. He finds the balance between realism, truth and abstraction of unnecessary details. The surfaces are polished and round, leading to a soothing and understandable beauty at first glance. The result of a long manual and experimental work, this creative impulse leads François Pompon to new masterpieces sublimating the animal world. Bear, wild boar, hippopotamus, owl, mole or partridge, the animals of Pompon are touched by the love that emerges.


Text in English and French.