Ours Blanc François Pompon 1855 – 1933 OURS BLANC Polar Bear inscribed Pompon Pierre de Lens.
Length: 46cm. 18in.
Conceived in this size in 1921-22 and carved in 1931.
Ours Blanc is François Pompon’s most important and revered sculpture. It came to define the long career of an artist and animalier who, at the age of 67, first presented the monumental model of it to great acclaim at the 1922 Salon d’Automne in Paris. Thereafter, the Ours Blanc was executed in different materials and on various scales over a period of eleven years. Pompon spent much of his early career as a sought-after assistant to the finest sculptors in Paris, including Rodin and Camille Claudel. However, in common with other artists active in the early years of the twentieth century, Pompon reacted against the expressive modelling style that prevailed at the time to develop a purer, more essential form of sculpture epitomised by the present work.
The natural grace of the polar bear is evoked by the smooth and blemish-free surface of the stone which is underpinned by a subtle sense of movement. Constantin Brancusi was an admirer of Pompon’s and visited the sculptor at his studio in 1932, and his own representations of animals share the spiritual and aesthetic qualities of Pompon’s works. Emblematic of the creative spirit and artistic virtuosity of its creator, a bronze cast of the Ours Blanc’s head adorned the door of the sculptor’s atelier in Paris. In 1937, the city of Dijon erected a monumental sculpture of the polar bear in honour of Pompon, who had once worked and studied there. A monumental version, measuring just over two metres, is one of the highlights of the Musée d’Orsay’s collection of twentieth century art. Numerous versions belong to museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Middelheim Museum, Antwerp.
Sold for 329,000 GBP at Sothebys
