Art Deco Sculpture - Tapa dura

Bronze and ivory sculptures in the Art Deco style have become the stars of every major collection of the period. They are the epitomy of their era, reflecting the excitement of the Ballet Russe, the expressionism of silent movies, the simplification of form in 20th century art and the sheer fun of the hyper realistic craftsmanship of their creators. Partly cast in bronze and partly carved, with astonishing skill, in ivory, some were made in Paris by such sculptors as Chiparus, who created hiaratic figures of exotically clad dancers and heroines of mythology, ballet and opera. Others came from Berlin and ranged from the exquisitly beautiful and wholesome girls by Preiss and Poertzel, Philippe and Harders to the strict and bizarre leather clad amazons of Bruno Zach; while others still came from Vienna where the dancers and nudes by Lorenzl and Daka. All the great figures are gathered here in full colour. Their background, history, technique and development are discussed in depth and there is an extensive list of biographies of the artists as well as the identification of the editing firms and foundaries.