Alfred Boucher

Alfred Boucher

Alfred Boucher (born September 23, 1850 in Bouy-sur-Ovin near Nogent-sur-Seine , † August 18, 1934 in Aix-les-Bains ) was a French sculptor .

Life

He was the son of a farm laborer. As a youth he was introduced to the respected sculptor Paul Dubois (1829-1905) from Nogent-sur-Seine, who encouraged him in his artistic vocation.

With financial support from his local community, Alfred Boucher was able to study with Paul Dubois (1829–1905) and Augustin Dumont (1801–1884) at the École des beaux-arts in Paris in 1869 . In 1874 he made his debut at the Salon de Paris with the sculpture Enfant à la fontaine . After an initial study visit to Italy from 1877 to 1878, he gained recognition in France. In 1881 he was honored in the Salon for his work La Piété filiale , which is now on display in the Museum of Nogent-sur-Seine. Among other things, he was the teacher of Camille Claudel , whom he introduced to Auguste Rodin before his second trip to Italy from 1883–1884 . His numerous, classic busts were modeled on writers like Maupassant , crowned heads like the Greek King George I or politicians like the French President Casimir Pierre Périer .

In 1889 he bought a house in Aix-les-Bains. In 1902 he founded the artist colony La Ruche ("The Beehive") in Montparnasse to enable young artists to survive.

In 1900 he was awarded the Grand Prix de sculpture (Grand Prize for Sculpture) at the Paris World's Fair . He died at his home in Aix-les-Bains at the age of 83.

literature

• Stanislas Lami : Boucher, Alfred . In: Ulrich Thieme , Felix Becker (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists from Antiquity to the Present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker. tape 4 : Bida – Brevoort . Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1910, p. 427 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

Web links

Commons : Alfred Boucher  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Biography of Alfred Boucher (French)