Adrien-Etienne Gaudez (French, 1845-1902), Semeur
Brown patina, signed A. GAUDEZ, the circular base with a plaquette inscribed SEMEUR Par A. Gaudez (Hors-Concours).
Ht. 33 in. Base Dia. 12 in.

Adrien-Etienne Gaudez (French, 1845-1902)
Adrien-Etienne Gaudez was a French artist known for his figurative bronze sculptures, especially his large-scale monuments and busts. Like his contemporaries Joseph Jules Descombes Cormier and Jef Lambeaux, Gaudez fabricated his designs for commercial means, though he did exhibit regularly at Paris Salons beginning in 1864. Having been a prisoner of war in 1870, he erected a commemorative statue in memory of the French soldiers who also befell his fate, which opened in 1892. Born on February 2, 1845 in Lyon, France, the sculptor studied at Paris' Ecole des Beaux-Arts with Francois Jouffroy as his tutor. Though his work primarily explored classical motifs, as his career progressed, Gaudez delved into the curvilinear forms and ornament characteristic of Art Nouveau. He died on January 23, 1902 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.