HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

André-César Vermare (27 November 1869 – 7 August 1949) was a French sculptor, known for his war memorials and monuments.


Biography

Vermare was the son of the sculptor Pierre Vermare. He entered the École nationale des beaux-arts in Lyon in 1886 and studied under Charles Dufraine. In 1891 he moved up to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and studied there under
Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...
, Alfred-Désiré Lanson and Laurent Marqueste. 1892 saw his first submission to the Paris Salon de la Société des artistes français. He was to get an "honourable mention" and then in 1894 he carried off the "Chevavard" prize for his composition entitled ''Giotto enfant''. 1897 saw his ''Orphée et Eurydice'' voted the runner-up in that year's Prix de Rome competition and in 1899 his ''La douleur d'Adam et Eve devant le cadavre d'Abel'' won that prestigious prize which took him to Rome's Villa Médicis from 1900 to 1903. On returning to Paris he worked with his father and created several statues for churches and as his reputation grew he received numerous commissions and received national recognition. He purchased some land and a farm at
Île-de-Bréhat Bréhat (french: Île-de-Bréhat, ) is an island and ''commune'' located near Paimpol, a mile off the northern coast of Brittany. Administratively, it is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France. Bréhat is actually ...
and built a summer house there. For many years he lived in Auteuil before retiring to Bréhat where he died on 7 August 1949. A listing of his main works, with brief details of these works, is given below.


Main works


''Giotto enfant''

One of his earliest recorded works, this Vermare sculpture dates to 1894.


Monument to

Marie François Sadi Carnot Marie François Sadi Carnot (; 11 August 1837 – 25 June 1894) was a French statesman, who served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894. Early life Marie François Sadi Carnot was the son of the statesman Hippol ...

This monument, with Vermare's sculptures of 1895 cast in bronze by the Denonvilliers foundry, is located in a public garden in
Saint-Chamond, Loire Saint-Chamond () is a commune in the Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. Situated 13 km northeast of the city of Saint-Étienne and 50 km southwest of Lyon, the town dates back to the Roman period. I ...
. A bust of Sadi Carnot sits on top of a pedestal in front of which are two figures. One is a woman who reaches up to the bust holding a sprig of laurel and the other is a youngster, representing the metallurgical industry, who sits on an anvil and before a large metal press. Next to the woman, Vermare has placed a loom used for lace making, another local industry.


''Eurydice menée aux enfers par Mercure''

The Musée de beaux-arts in
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
hold this composition in plaster which was Vermare's entry for the Prix de Rome in 1897. Vermare was the runner-up.


''Le Christ enseignant''

This work, dating to around 1897, was cast in bronze by the foundry Thiebaut frères.


''La douleur d'Adam et Ève devant le cadavre d'Abel''

Every year the Ếcole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris would set a subject for a sculptural composition and the winner was awarded the "Prix de Rome", which allowed the winner to study in Rome at the Villa Médicis. In 1899 the set subject was "La douleur d'Adam et Ève devant le cadavre d'Abel" and Vermare's submission won him the prize. The school still holds the plaster relief in their collection of the major works of ex pupils.


''Le Rhône et la Saône''

This relief by Vermare can be seen in
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
's place des Cordeliers. Vermare submitted this to the Salon of 1902 and the marble version in Lyon was erected in 1907. In
Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomer ...
there are two copies of this work in the Musée de Poitiers. One is just the head of the figure representing the Rhône. The Rhône in Vermale's composition is a muscular and naked man who is depicting swimming, seemingly against the force of the water. The Saône river is represented by a woman swimming just below the man. It is a most dramatic piece of sculpture. There is a plaster copy of ''Le Rhône et la Saône'' in
Villefranche-sur-Saône Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; frp, Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''. ...
's Musée Paul-Dini. There is a signature on the work showing that Vermare executed the work in 1901 whilst in Rome. It was purchased by the French state from the Salon in 1902. A 1905 marble version of ''Le Rhône et la Saône'' is held in
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
's Chambre de commerce et d'industrie. In the photograph (figure 7) Vermare's relief can be seen between the two sets of stairs leading to the building's main entrance.


''Suzanne''

This marble study by Vermare dates to 1905 and was executed by him whilst a student in Rome. It is held by the Musée d'Orsay and the plaster version is held in
Nemours Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierr ...
at the Château-Musée. Manufacture de
Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for it ...
also brought out an edition in
biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be sa ...
. The work was shown at the 1905 Salon de la Société des artistes français. It was held in Courpalay between 1953 and 2003.


War memorials


Monument to the 1870–1871 war

Vermare was the sculptor of the huge Saint Étienne monument honouring those men of the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
region who gave their lives for France in the Franco-Prussian war. The monument was inaugurated on 29 May 1898 in the presence of the French president
Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was the President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for S ...
. A competition had been launched to select the architect/sculptor to be given the commission to design and erect the monument and the maquette of the architect Varinard des Côtes and Vermare, entitled ''Alerte'', was chosen. In Vermare's composition, a winged female figure stands over the body of a soldier who has been mortally wounded and has collapsed against a canon and some broken fencing and rubble; the detritus of a battle.


Paimpol Paimpol (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwest France. It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches. Geography The town is located in ...
War Memorial

Now living and working in Bréhat qualified Vermare to be commissioned to add a sculpture to the Paimpol war memorial. He depicted a woman in mourning clothes looking down at the grave of a soldier who had fallen in the 1914–1918 war. The sculpture is in limestone. The inscription reads The woman wears the embroidered hat worn in the Trégor-Goëllo region called the "toukenn". In Goëllo the hat is worn with its points at the back whilst the women of Trégor have the points at the front thus showing which of the two regions the wearer is from. It is a Breton tradition that such hats are only embroidered on a Sunday.


Dol-de-Bretagne Dol-de-Bretagne (, literally ''Dol of Brittany''; br, Dol; Gallo: ''Dóu''), cited in most historical records under its Breton name of Dol, is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine ''département'' in Brittany in northwestern France. Geography Dol- ...
War Memorial

In
Dol-de-Bretagne Dol-de-Bretagne (, literally ''Dol of Brittany''; br, Dol; Gallo: ''Dóu''), cited in most historical records under its Breton name of Dol, is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine ''département'' in Brittany in northwestern France. Geography Dol- ...
's Saint-Samson cathedral is a 1920 relief by Vermare showing Christ appearing before a kneeling soldier ("Christ apparaissant à un poilu"). The inscription reads


Lacour-d'Arcenay War Memorial

This memorial was inaugurated on 7 May 1922 and has a bronze version of Vermare's 1909 ''Jeanne d'Arc au Sacre'' as its main feature. In 1909 Pope Pie X had declared Vermare's sculpture as the official sculpture to be used in the celebration of Joan's beautification. The sculpture was given to the Lacour-d'Arcenay commune by the comte de Lauzière whose son had died in the war.


Saint-Saturnin-de-Lenne War Memorial

This was another commune to use Vermare's ''Jeanne d'Arc au Sacre'' as the central feature of their war memorial. This memorial was inaugurated on 4 September 1921.


Île de Bréhat War Memorial

This 1920 memorial to the dead of the 1914–1918 war is kept in the Église paroissiale Notre-Dame. It comprises four
stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), wh ...
. Three of these list the names of the dead and those who died in the 1939–1945 conflict. A fourth stele has a bas-relief depicting a widow at prayer at the foot of a cross of Saint-Maudez. She wears mourning dress. The names of the main battles of the 1914–1918 are also listed. The stele are inscribed


The Monument aux Diables Bleus

This monument stands at the top of the "ballon de Guebwiller" ("Le Grand Ballon") in the
Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
at a height of 1424 mètres. The monument comprises a pyramid made from the red granite of the Vosges which had a bronze depiction of a "Chasseur Alpin" sculpted by Vermare and fellow sculptor Moreau Vautier. The inauguration took place on 25 September 1927. In 1940 the bronze was taken by the German Army and in 1960 the sculptor Bouret recreated this statue.


Other monuments and sculptures


Monument to Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau

This monument is located in
Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...
facing the town hall and the Basilica Notre-dame de Québec and honours the first Canadian cardinal. Vermare created the statue of the cardinal, four cherubs and three bas-reliefs, all in bronze. The inauguration took place on 9 June 1923. Vermare sculpted the cardinal standing dressed in a
rochet A rochet () is a white vestment generally worn by a Roman Catholic or Anglican bishop in choir dress. It is unknown in the Eastern churches. The rochet in its Roman form is similar to a surplice, except that the sleeves are narrower. In its Ang ...
and wearing the cappa magna. His right hand is raised and his left hand rests on his chest. The three reliefs depict episodes in Taschereau's life. In one he is shown in the Basilica kneeling in prayer before the altar, in another he is shown in a seminary reminding us of his academic life and that he had served as the rector of Laval university. The third recalls Taschereau's risking his life in helping Irish victims of the 1847 outbreak of
typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
. File:Monument du Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau 02.jpg, Vermare's statue of Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau File:Monument du Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau 12.jpg, Taschereau shown as a missionary helping Irish refugees. File:Monument du Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau 09.jpg, One of the four cherubs. File:Monument du Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau 10.jpg, Taschereau amongst fellow seminarists. File:Monument du Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau 07.jpg, Taschereau praying in the basilica


Monument to Antoine Gailleton

This eminent surgeon had been the mayor of
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
and this elaborate monument in the place Gailleton was erected in his honour in 1913. Sadly Vermare's bust on this monument fell foul of the occupying German's thirst for metals and was melted down in 1942. In 1959, the bust was replaced but in stone and the area around the monument converted to a fountain in 2005. There are two Vermare bas-reliefs on the monument. One represents ''Science'' and shows the university being built whilst the other was entitled ''Progress''.


Medallion depicting Ernest Marché

Ernest Marché was a
Nemours Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierr ...
born painter and curator of the Musée de Nemours from 1911 to 1932. This 1933 medallion depicting Marché is held in that museum's collection.


Bust of André-Marie Ampère

This Vermare work is held in the Lyon Musée de beaux-arts. It was in August 1906 that the "Association pour l'avancement des sciences" set up a committee to organise the erection of a statue of Ampère at Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'Or and gave the commission to Vermare. The maquette was shown at the 1909 Paris Salon and although the final work was finished in 1912 it was not inaugurated until 1921, the delay being caused by the war.


Monument to Brillat-Savarin

This monument in
Belley Belley () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. History Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, whe ...
featured sculpture by Vermare which had been cast in bronze in 1927. The pedestal was inscribed During the German occupation the bronze was removed and melted down for re-use. Fortunately Vermale had kept the original model so in 1948 a new casting was made in bronze and a second inauguration took place.


Bust of Paul Guadet

Vermare's 1928 bust of the French architect is held in
Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland ...
's Lycée polyvalent Jules Haag.


Georges Wague

Vermare created a sculpture depicting this actor playing the role of
pierrot Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and ''commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''Pie ...
. He also executed a bust of Wague.


''Après la faute''

This composition in plaster dates to 1894.


Statues of Joan of Arc and Sainte Bernadette Soubirous

These two Vermare works in plaster in Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre. Sainte Bernadette Soubirous is depicted at the moment of her vision at the
Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...
grotto and is dressed as a shepherdess.


''Adam et Eve''

A work dating to 1897.


Bas-relief in Paris 14th Arrondissement

At 3 rue Cassini there is a bas-relief by Vermare. The building was designed by the architect F.Saulnier in 1908/1909. In Vemare's composition a young boy plays a lute listened to by two young girls who carry bunches of flowers.


Vermare work in churches


Statue of St Elisabeth

This statue is located in the Saint-M'Hervé Église paroissiale Saint-Eloi.


Statues to the Curé d'Ars John Vianney

There are several Vermare bronzes in French churches depicting Vianney, including Châtillon's maison de retraite Sainte-Anne d'Auray in the rue de Fontenay. It is only 0.60 metres high and on a marble base. It depicts John Vianney (Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney) at prayer. There is another statue of the curé d'Ars in Grillon's église paroissiale Sainte-Agathe and another in the Frans townhall. There is a copy in the Sainte-Addresse church in
Bellerive-sur-Allier Bellerive-sur-Allier (; oc, Vaissa) is a commune in the Allier department in central France. Known as Vesse or Vaisse, it was renamed Bellerive-sur-Allier in 1903. Population Geography Location Bellerive-sur-Allier was member of Ganna ...
, The original marble work is in a side chapel of Lyon's primatiale Saint-Jean and was created in 1905 on the occasion of Vianney's beautification. Pope Pius X had a reproduction of the sculpture in his office.


Joan of Arc


''Jeanne au Sacre''

This depiction of
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the corona ...
is a well-known Vermare work. The original marble sculpture was executed in 1909 for the Église St-Louis des Français in Rome as part of the celebrations for Joan of Arc's
beautification Beautification is the process of making visual improvements to a town, city, or urban area. This most often involves planting trees, shrubbery, and other greenery, but frequently also includes adding decorative or historic-style street lights an ...
in that year, the use of Vermare's work being officially approved by Pope Pie X. Many copies of this work were made by various commercial enterprises, these in plaster, bronze and cast iron. An example of the sculpture can be seen for example in Machecoul's Église de La Trinité . Joan is depicted at the coronation of Charles V11 in
Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...
on 17 July 1429.


Cathédrale Sainte-Croix

This cathedral in
Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and
Beauregard has a statue of Joan of Arc by Vermare.


Miscellaneous

Vermare participated in adding to the decoration of many churches and apart from those works covered in the above notes, his work can be seen in churches in Saugnacq-et-Muret, Sail-sous-Couzan, Réauville and in the parish church of Saint-Julien in
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
. He also executed several small bronze pieces including ''Jeune Homme'' (35 cm), ''ête masculine'' (31 cm) and ''Pierrot déclamant'', and
Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for it ...
brought out a biscuit piece entitled ''Jeune fille au bouc''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermare, Andre Cesar 20th-century French sculptors Prix de Rome for sculpture 1869 births 1949 deaths Sculptors from Lyon 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists