Charles Malfray (19 July 1887,

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

) was a French

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. Born the son of an Orléans stonemason he was a student of the École des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans. At seventeen, he attended the School of Decorative Arts in Paris and the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

. He however rejected the academic teaching of the college and became attracted by the art of the Montmartre-based

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

and

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (; 30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

. Malfray survived the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

after being gassed and taking part in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

, but was deeply affected by his experiences. Together with his brother, he created war memorials to the dead of Pithiviers (1920) and Orleans (1924),Galerie-malaquais.com
Retrieved June 4, 2009 whose modernism was highly debated. In 1920 he was awarded the

Prix Blumenthal The Prix Blumenthal (or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) – and the foundation she created, ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-Am ...

, but due to being ill as a result of the war, he almost gave up sculpture. However, in 1931, his friend

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford ...

appointed him his successor as professor at the

Académie Ranson The Académie Ranson was a private art school founded in 1908 in Paris by the French painter Paul Ranson (1862–1909). History The Académie Ranson was founded in 1908 by Paul Ranson (1862–1909), who himself studied at the Académie Jul ...

in Paris. During the following years, Malfray had many students in his workshop, including

Étienne Martin Étienne Martin (4 February 1913 – 21 March 1995) was a French non-figurative sculptor. Biography He was born Henri Étienne-Martin on 4 February 1913 in Loriol, Drôme, France. He attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Lyon from 1929 to 19 ...

, François Stahly,

Nessa Cohen Nessa Cohen, born Helen Nessa Cohen, (December 11, 1885 – December 1976) was an American sculptor, born in New York City. She exhibited in the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art. Early life Cohen was born on December 11, 1884, in Ne ...

, and

Jean Le Moal Jean Le Moal (30 October 1909 – 16 March 2007) was a French painter of the new Paris school, designer of stained glass windows, and one of the founder members of the Salon de Mai. Biography Jean Le Moal enrolled at the "Ecole des Beaux-Art ...

. He died in 1940. A street in Orléans was named Rue Charles Malfray.

Main works

* Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, ''Torse de nageuse'' * Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts, ''La Danse'' (bronze), ''Femme assise'' (bronze), ''Le Baiser'' (plaster), ''La Beauce'' (plaster), ''Torse de baigneuse'' (plaster), ''Homme marchant avec une besace'' (plaster), ''Torse de femme'' (plaster), ''Deux baigneuses'' (plaster), ''La Danse'' (plaster) * Paris, Musée d'art moderne, ''La Danse'', 1939

Bibliography

* Jacques de Laprade, ''Charles Malfray, dessins et sculptures'', Mourlot, Paris, 1945 * ''Charles Malfray'', André Chamson, Paris, Petit Palais, 1947 * ''Charles Malfray'', Waldemar George, Paris, Musée Rodin, 1966 * ''Hommage à Charles Malfray'', Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1967

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malfray, Charles 1887 births 1940 deaths Artists from Orléans École des Beaux-Arts alumni Prix Blumenthal 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors