Hippolyte Lefèbvre
Encyclopedia
Hippolyte-Jules Lefèbvre (Lille
1863 — 1935) was an academic French sculptor and medallist who received numerous official marks of recognition in his day but is now largely forgotten. His most prominent works are the monumental equestrian sculpture
s of Joan of Arc
and Louis IX of France
, set up on the Basilique du Sacré Cœur, Paris.
From a working-class background, he made his first studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, Lille, where he won numerous prizes and was sent with a municipal scholarship to study at the École des beaux-arts
, Paris In 1882 he moved to Paris, where he was a pupil of Pierre-Jules Cavelier
, Louis-Ernest Barrias
and Jules Coutan. He began exhibiting regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1887, and in 1892, after receiving seconds in 1888 and 1891, won the Grand Prix de Rome in sculpture; on his return to Paris he pursued a successful official career. He was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and an officer in 1925.
Aside from Sacré-Coeur, where he also provided sculpture for the high altar, his public sculpture is to be seen also at the Grand Palais
, Paris, where he received a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1900)
. His kneeling funeral figure of Léon-Adolphe Cardinal Amette, 1923, is in the Chapel of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Notre-Dame de Paris. He was called upon to provide sculpture for a number of monuments to the fallen of World War I. His Jeunes Aveugles (1902) won a medal of honor and was purchased for the collections at the Palais du Luxembourg, Paris.
His work may also be found on the Opéra de Lille
, 1914; the Allegory of the Republic in the cour d'honneur of the French embassy in Vienna (built 1904); a marble Niobe at the Tour de Roland, Arles; and at the Hôtel de Ville
, Roubaix.
Lefebvre was often called upon to make commemorative medals, such as one celebrating the centenary of Argentine independence, 1910;; one commemorating Jules Gosset, for the Société des Sciences, Lille; one that the architect Louis M. Cordonnier
, member of the Institut de France, distributed to friends and colleagues, 26 January 1912; Fondation Firmin Rainbeaux, 1930.
His workshop drawings and jottings, unlike his finished sculpture, approached abstraction.
A street commemorates him in Lille and a quai in Mondeville
.
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
1863 — 1935) was an academic French sculptor and medallist who received numerous official marks of recognition in his day but is now largely forgotten. His most prominent works are the monumental equestrian sculpture
Equestrian sculpture
An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin "eques", meaning "knight", deriving from "equus", meaning "horse". A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an "equine statue"...
s of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
and Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, set up on the Basilique du Sacré Cœur, Paris.
From a working-class background, he made his first studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, Lille, where he won numerous prizes and was sent with a municipal scholarship to study at the École des beaux-arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
, Paris In 1882 he moved to Paris, where he was a pupil of Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier was a French academic sculptor.Son of a silversmith and furniture maker, student of the sculptors David d'Angers and the painter Paul Delaroche, Cavelier won the Prix de Rome in 1842 with a plaster statue of Diomedes Entering the Palladium...
, Louis-Ernest Barrias
Louis-Ernest Barrias
Louis-Ernest Barrias was a French sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school.He was born in Paris into a family of artists. His father was a porcelain-painter, and his older brother Félix-Joseph Barrias a well-known painter...
and Jules Coutan. He began exhibiting regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1887, and in 1892, after receiving seconds in 1888 and 1891, won the Grand Prix de Rome in sculpture; on his return to Paris he pursued a successful official career. He was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and an officer in 1925.
Aside from Sacré-Coeur, where he also provided sculpture for the high altar, his public sculpture is to be seen also at the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, Paris, where he received a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1900)
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
. His kneeling funeral figure of Léon-Adolphe Cardinal Amette, 1923, is in the Chapel of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Notre-Dame de Paris. He was called upon to provide sculpture for a number of monuments to the fallen of World War I. His Jeunes Aveugles (1902) won a medal of honor and was purchased for the collections at the Palais du Luxembourg, Paris.
His work may also be found on the Opéra de Lille
Opéra de Lille
The Opéra de Lille is a theater-style neo-classical opera house, built from 1907 to 1913 and officially inaugurated in 1923.In 1903 fire destroyed the previous Lille opera house, which had been designed by Lille architect Michael Joseph Lequeux and built in 1785. For the replacement city officials...
, 1914; the Allegory of the Republic in the cour d'honneur of the French embassy in Vienna (built 1904); a marble Niobe at the Tour de Roland, Arles; and at the Hôtel de Ville
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
, Roubaix.
Lefebvre was often called upon to make commemorative medals, such as one celebrating the centenary of Argentine independence, 1910;; one commemorating Jules Gosset, for the Société des Sciences, Lille; one that the architect Louis M. Cordonnier
Louis M. Cordonnier
Louis-Marie Cordonnier was a French architect, born in Haubourdin and associated principally with Lille and the French Flanders region.- Biography :...
, member of the Institut de France, distributed to friends and colleagues, 26 January 1912; Fondation Firmin Rainbeaux, 1930.
His workshop drawings and jottings, unlike his finished sculpture, approached abstraction.
A street commemorates him in Lille and a quai in Mondeville
Mondeville
Mondeville is the name of two communes in France:*Mondeville, in the Calvados département*Mondeville, in the Essonne département...
.
External links
- Biography (German)