Sculptor, eminent representative of the French art school of the mid and late 19th century, creator of a great number of monumental, chamber and small sculptures, brilliant master of decorative design of temples, public buildings and palace interiors, the developer and executor of the decorative ensemble of the building of the Belgian Stock Exchange and the decoration of several adjacent buildings, on which he worked for six years, together with his best pupil, August Rodin.
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was born in Anizy-le-Château, in a wealthy family. Being pretty grown, sixteen-year-old, he enrolled in the National High School of Fine Arts, the workshop of the most famous sculptor and medallion maker at the time, the recognized master of the psychological portrait Pierre Jean David d’Angier. In the 1870s he took part in decorating a large part of the interior of the new Grand Opera building in Paris.
Despite the undisputable recognition in the field of monumental sculpture, when each subsequent work only increased his professional level, however, Albert-Ernest was transformed into an unsurpassed master of chamber sculpting. From now on, almost every piece born on a machine in his workshop won prizes from Paris Salons, gold medals from World Expositions, all sorts of Grand Jury prizes, and even the rank of Legion of Honor officer.
“The Reader” from the Museum of Russian Art perhaps is one of the most famous and replicated in the sculptor’s extensive creative heritage. A number of author’s repetitions and lifetime student copies were made of it.
The beautiful image of an attractive young woman is represented according to the adopted fashion - in a long skirt, diluted dress with a narrow closed bra, ornamented with exquisite fractional pattern and a smooth bertha in the neckline part. The additional solidity of the elongated proportions is given by the lines of the head cape and the high collar of the redingote, which, like the cuffs of the tight sleeves, are embroidered with large flowers in antique ornaments style. The artist’s unique ability to synthesize different images, eras and styles in unified harmony, raised his characters above a certain time and a specific place, making them understandable and kin forever. Does that explain today’s variations on themes, dear to the master?
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse at the Museum of Russian Art (Prof. A. Abramyan’s collection):
“The Reader”