Lot no. 29
Naiad. After Stephan Buxin (1909-1996), with her hands resting on her bent right knee, a work in which the fullness of the forms and the balance of the attitude contribute to the impression of restrained calm. The bronze original, commissioned by the public in 1975, is at the centre of the fountain in the courtyard of the Fontaine du Roy school in Ville d'Avray. Talking about his work, Stephan Buxin said: "This figure was commissioned by the municipality of Ville d'Avray in 1975, probably to be installed in the garden linking the château to the new Fontaine du Roy college. My idea was to place it in the centre of a circular water feature and to sit it so that it would not obstruct the view of the château from the school playground"... Biography: Sephan BUXIN (sculptor - Liège, 24 December 1909 / Paris, 1 May 1996). From an early age, Stephan Buxin affirmed his vocation for sculpture. His parents decided to send him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège. His teacher, the sculptor Georges Petit, took an interest in him and encouraged him along this path. Petit became a very dear friend, with whom he would maintain a letter-writing relationship until the end of his master's life. Georges Petit advised the young artist to go to Paris to expand his budding work. In 1930, Stephan Buxin settled permanently in France, where he was naturalised in 1947. Throughout his career, he continued to work part-time as a salaried employee and as a sculptor. After graduating from the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he became close to Charles Despiau and Robert Wlérick, who confirmed and supported his choice of figurative sculpture. Despite media pressure, Stephan Buxin turned away from the artistic fashions of the second half of the 20th century. Minor old restoration. Height 115 cm - Terrace 105 x 157 cm