Art & Statues
Ivory Art Deco Statues Galerie Bernard De Leye
Statuettes en Ivoire Art Déco (Art Deco Ivory Statuettes)
Published by Galerie Bernard de Leye in 2011 and written by Catherine Verecken-Meert, this exhibition catalogue documents a substantial collection of European Art Deco sculpture carved primarily from ivory. Across 208 pages with color photography throughout, the book presents each piece with the kind of detail found in a gallery archive, and includes text in both French and English. It offers a focused look at chryselephantine and pure ivory statuettes from the movement's most productive decades.
Ivory carving reached a particular peak of refinement during the Art Deco period, when sculptors combined the material's luminous quality with the streamlined, often theatrical poses that defined the style. This catalogue, produced by the Belgian gallery Bernard de Leye, gathers a substantial body of that work into one volume, photographed with the clarity needed to study surface detail, carving technique, and the subtle coloring some pieces received. Dancers, allegorical figures, and portrait busts appear throughout, showing the range of subjects ivory carvers took on during this period.
Catherine Verecken-Meert's text accompanies the photography in both French and English, making the catalogue accessible to a wider audience of collectors than a single language publication would reach. As a gallery produced volume rather than an academic history, the book functions closely to how a serious collector would want to study these pieces, with attention paid to condition, scale, and the specific qualities that separate a fine example from an ordinary one. The cover image, a close study of a carved figure's raised hand and hair, signals the level of detail carried throughout the rest of the book.
For collectors specifically focused on Art Deco ivory sculpture, this catalogue offers a concentrated reference that general surveys of the period rarely match in depth. Its gallery origins also mean the selection reflects pieces that have actually passed through the market, giving a practical sense of what is available and desirable within this specific collecting category.
