Jean de Roncourt strongman “The Bender” French Art Deco Statue Rare Bronze Edition

This dramatic Art Deco Sculpture by the “master” of masculine and athletic figures in the 1920s and 1930s, Jean De Roncourt,  a rare original BRONZE version of this piece. Entitled Le Bendeur (or, in English, The Bender), it depicts an athletic man dressed in a loincloth bending a large metal rod by hand. This French art deco statue is widely regarded as de Roncourt’s best work. Wonderful base with black marble and signed on the marble base base: J De Roncourt. Finely detailed muscles and facial features that display angry determination make this a most expressive piece.

There is a bit of controversy and mystery surrounding De Roncourt’s work. Biographical information seems lacking, and the fact that not only this sculpture but that of his most famous work, “Le Bendeur”, can sometimes be found signed with the name D. Chiparus has led many to believe that De Roncourt may have been a pseudonym for the amazingly prolific artist Demetre Chiparus.

It was quite typical for sculptors to use pseudonyms in the Art Deco period, and to produce works with two or three different names but there has not been definitive evidence that “De Roncourt” is, in fact “Chiparus” so for now, we need to appreciate both sculptors for their mastery of the human form.