Demetre Chiparus Bronze Art Deco Sculpture The Javelin Thrower

A classic bronze sculpture by the master of Art Deco statues, Demetre Chiparus.  The “Javelin Thrower” has all of the exceptional features that make Chiparus one of the most highly regarded (and collected) sculptors of his time. It features a dynamic subject, spectacular form, richly patinated bronze surface.

Although he rarely exhbited in the Salons and Expositions there were two notable execeptions…one of which was this piece which was shown at the 1923 Salon Des Artistes Francais.

Demetre Chiparus was born in Dorhoi, Romania in 1886. He studied first in Italy under Rafaello Romanelli, and then later at the Paris Ecole des Beaux Artes to learn bronze sculpting and casting. His work shows great imagination and fantasy, drawing from many forms of dance from many countries. The Russian Ballets of Diaghilev, Nijinsky  and stage design by Leon Bakst were an inspiration but also dancers of Egypt, India, Hungary.There is an athleticism that runs through his body of work, and is evident in the dynamic representation of the Javelin Thrower.

His bronzes often go an “extra step”, by incorporating gilding, jewels, and ivory that make them especially rich and opulent. In the Javelin Thrower, he relies on the simplicity of perfect rendering of the male form and a lush patina.

Chiparus’ work was cast primarily at the Etling Foundry, later the Lehmann Foundry. Both of these houses were severely impacted by Nazi occupation of France and despite the fact that he was extremely prolific in the 1920s and 30s, by the 1940s he sculpted mainly for his own pleasure.

When “Art Deco” began to have its series of revivals  beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the work of Chiparus had a great surge of popularity once again and he continues to be thought of as the greatest sculptor of the era.

A “must have/must read” book for any aficionado of Chiparus or of Art Deco is the new book by Alberto Shayo, Chiparus Master of Art Deco.