Constant Ambroise Roux (20 April 1865,

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

- 17 November 1942, Marseille) was a French sculptor.

Biography

Roux' parents ran a chemist shop and Roux started working at a young age for Achille Blanqui, who was a furniture maker. Roux helped with the wood carving involved. Roux studied at the École supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Marseille, enrolling in 1879, and working under the tutelage of , and

Théodore Jourdan Théodore Antoine Louis Jourdan (29 July 1833, Salon-de-Provence3 January 1908, Marseille) was a French painter of rural Genre art, genre scenes. Biography He began his studies at the and completed them in the workshops of Émile Loubon, in ...

, and was subsequently admitted to 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 ...

in Paris, studying under

Jules Coutan Jules-Félix Coutan (; 22 September 1848 – 23 February 1939) was a French sculptor and educator. Life As a student at the École des Beaux-Arts, Coutan was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1872; after his return to Paris he executed the ...

, Jules Cavelier and

Louis-Ernest Barrias Louis-Ernest Barrias (13 April 1841 – 4 February 1905) was a French sculptor of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Beaux-Arts school. In 1865 Barrias won the Prix de Rome for study at the French Academy in Rome. Barrias was involved in the decor ...

. In 1894 he won the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

for sculpture with the ronde-bosse ""Enflammé de colère, Achille revêtant après la mort de Patrocle, l'armure apportée par Thétis, sa mère" and winning this prestigious prize meant that he was able to study in Rome from 1895 to 1898 at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

. In 1898, Roux submitted the work "Pourquoi naître esclave" (Why be Born a Slave?) to the

Salon des Artistes Français The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

, sending it from Rome, and it was awarded a bronze medal. In 1900 he submitted the composition "L'amour au guet" (Love on the Lookout) to the Exposition Universelle, again winning the bronze. 1910 saw his work for the façade of the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine in Paris and for his work "Nicolas Poussin" submitted to the Salon in that year he was awarded a gold medal. After the war he was commissioned to work on various war memorials. He died in Marseille in 1942. Where ever possible Roux supported art in his native city of Marseille participating for example with Émile Aldebert,

André-Joseph Allar André-Joseph Allar (22 August 1845 – 11 April 1926) was a French sculptor. Biography André-Joseph Allar was born in Toulon on 22 August 1845. He became a successful sculptor after training under Antoine Laurent Dantan and Pierre-Jules Cave ...

François Carli François Carli (11 April 1872 - 19 December 1957) was a French sculptor. Biography Early life François Carli was born on 11 April 1872 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. His older brother, Auguste Carli (1868-1930), was also a sculptor.R ...

, , Charles Delanglade,

Jean-Baptiste Hugues Jean-Baptiste Hugues (15 April 1849, in Marseille – 28 October 1930, in Paris) was a French sculptor. He won the Grand Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1875. He was resident at the Villa Medicis from 1876 to 1879. When he was alive, he gained som ...

, Marius Malan and the painter Pauline Mace, in supporting the Marseille Salon des Indépendants in 1913 and 1914. He also founded the Galerie Caors-Cottier in 1922 and participated in the Provence Exposition de l'Académie Régionale des Peintres et Sculpteurs held at the Galerie Détaille. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

. From 1931 he served regularly on the jury of the École des Beaux Arts of Marseille together with Charles Delanglade,

Louis Botinelly Louis Botinelly (26 January 1883 – 28 March 1962) was a French sculptor. Biography Personal life Botinelly was born on 2 January 1883 in Digne-les-Bains, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France. He died on 26 March 1962 in Marseille. Career He wa ...

Paul Gondard Paul Gondard (1884–1953) was a French sculptor. Biography Gondard studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille but did not pursue further studies in Paris as was usual with provincial sculptors at that time, choosing instead to remain ...

, Marius Malan, José Silbert and David Dellepiane. Marseille showed their appreciation when he was elected to the Académie Marseille.

Main works

1. Institut de paléontologie Humaine frieze.Paris. A frieze comprising twenty bas-reliefs on the theme of "L’Homme primitif" were created by Roux for the façade of the Institut of human paleontology in Paris. Photographs of some of these remarkable bas-reliefs are shown below.

Images of Institut de paléontologie humaine frieze

File:Institut-de-paleontologie-humaine-Paris.JPG, View of the Institut de paléontologie Humaine. Choux's frieze can be seen, File:Frise3.jpg, Part of the Choux frieze on Paris' Institut de paléontologie Humaine File:Frise1.jpg, Part of the Choux frieze on Paris' Institut de paléontologie Humaine File:Frise Institut de paléontologie humaine 02.jpg, Part of the Choux frieze on Paris' Institut de paléontologie Humaine File:Frise2.jpg, Part of the Choux frieze on Paris' Institut de paléontologie Humaine 2. The Salle des Quatre Colonnes in the

Palais Bourbon The Palais Bourbon () is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. It is in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, on the Rive Gauche of the Seine across from the Place de la Concorde. The offi ...

now the

Assemblée nationale The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known as () or deputies. There are 577 , each elected by ...

. On a wall in this room, and facing Armand Martial's marble sculpture "La République", a marble plaque lists the names of the deputies who gave their lives for France in the 1914-1918 war. The plaque is decorated by Roux's carvings of a gallic cock, the hand of justice, a bundle of lances and a sword with garlands of oak leaves. Also, and on 8 June 1900, Roux was commissioned to create two decorative bas-relief panels for the refreshment room ("Buvette") of the National Assembly, and his compositions entitled "L’Automne" and "L’Hiver" were produced in grey ceramic by

Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...

. Roux submitted the bas-reliefs to the 1902 Salon and they were awarded a medal (2nd class) and in 1903 two further panels were ordered, these entitled "L’eau" and "Le Feu". A second copy of "L’eau" was made by Sèvres in 1904 and this can be seen in "La Piscine" in Roubaix, where an old public swimming bath has imaginatively been converted into an art gallery and museum. A photograph of this bas-relief is included in the gallery below. 3. "La République". Hôtel de préfecture des Bouches-du-Rhône. The statue in white marble by Roux entitled "la République" can be seen on the main staircase ("l'escalier d'honneur") of the

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

prefecture. It was inaugurated on 14 March 1904. 4. Statue Palais Princier on Le Rocher- "La science découvrant les merveilles de l'Océan"- This statue, standing outside the Palais Princier, was created in 1914 by Constant Roux in hommage to Prince Albert 1st of Monaco and to commemorate the 25th year of his reign. 5. 'The war memorial (monument aux morts) at

Saint-Martin-de-Crau Saint-Martin-de-Crau (; Provençal: ''Sant Martin de Crau'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Martinois''. Population Saint-Martin-de-Crau has the lowest population density ...

- Roux's sculpture of a dying French soldier defending the national flag stands on a pedestal. The monument is dedicated to those men killed in the 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 wars and all the victims of an explosion at a munitions depot in Beaussenq on 3 June 1918. 200 soldiers were killed in the explosion. Roux had exhibited the composition at the Salon des Artistes Français of 1920. It was destined for the commune of

Trelly Trelly () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Quettreville-sur-Sienne.la Manche and depicted a young soldier dying at the foot of a cross and pressing the national flag to his chest. This composition was used for Saint-Martin-de-Crau but without the cross. The same composition was used for the memorials in the Marseille's suburb of Saint-Loup and also for Nanton,

Privas Privas (; , also ) is a city located in France, in the department of Ardèche. With its 8,465 inhabitants (2019), it is the least populated prefecture (capital of a department). It was the location of the 1629 Siege of Privas. Today, Priv ...

and

Seillans Seillans (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a ''ville perché'' (perched hill-top village) overlooking the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel, which bord ...

. 6. Les convalescents rendant hommage à Louis Salvator -This statue by Roux depicts convalescing patients paying hommage to Louis Salvator and stands in the grounds of the Hôpital Salvator in Marseille. Roux won the competition to select the sculpture for the statue in 1908. See photograph in the gallery below. 7. Jean Bouin. Roux's bronze study of the athlete

Jean Bouin Alexandre François Étienne Jean Bouin (; 21 December 1888 – 29 September 1914) was a French middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500m at the 1908 Olympics and the 5000m at the 1912 Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 5000m in 1912 ...

stands in the courtyard of the Marseille

stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Orange Vélodrome since June 2016, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, and has ...

. A photograph of this work is included in the gallery below. Bouin was killed in action during World War I fighting near Saint-Mihiel. The casting was carried out by Gatti and inauguration took place on 5 June 1922. Roux also completed a bust of the athlete. 9. 'Masks of "Thétis'', ''Mercure'' et ''Ceres. These can be seen at the top of the three entrances to the Caisse d'Épargne in Marseille, place Estrangin-Pastré? This is a much decorated building. Built in 1904 and designed by the architect Tournaire, the pediment was sculpted by Henri-Édouard Lombard and

Auguste Carli Auguste Carli (12 July 1868 – 28 January 1930) was a French sculptor. Biography Early life Auguste Carli was born on 12 July 1868 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. His younger brother, François Carli (1872-1957), was also a sculptor.R ...

created a bas-relief for the face of the building giving on to the cours Pierre Puget. 10. La France armée. A Roux bronze which stands on the top of the Monument des Mobiles des Bouches-du-Rhône in front of Église des Réformés in Marseille. This honours the reservists and members of the "garde mobile" who fought in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. At the base of the monument, Roux added four groups of soldiers. 11. Monument celebrating the American aid and friendship given to France 1914-1918. This monument in Chaumont is inscribed "A l'amitié et à l'aide Américaines La France Reconnaissante Hommage du département de la Haute-Marne et de la ville de Chaumont". Roux completed the sculptural work involved. A woman representing France holds the shoulder of a French soldier who is shaking the hand of an American soldier. The sculpture was inaugurated on 3 June 1923 in the presence of the French President, Mr. Millerand, the Chairman of the Council, Mr. Poincaré, the Justice Minister, Ambassadors from the Allied Nations, representatives of foreign press and numerous civilian and military dignitaries from the town and Haute-Marne. 12. Antoine Fortuné Marion. This bust by Roux, executed in 1903, is located on the esplanade of Marseille's

Palais Longchamp The Palais Longchamp () is a monument in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille, France. It houses both the Musée des beaux-arts de Marseille, Musée des beaux-arts and the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille. The surrounding Longchamp Park (F ...

. 13. Nicolas Poussin. Roux' 1911 statue of

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

can be seen in

Les Andelys Les Andelys (; Norman language, Norman: ''Les Aundelys'') is a Communes of France, commune in the northern French Departments of France, department of Eure, in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy. Geography It lies on the Seine, about no ...

, Poussin's birthplace. 14. Charles Delanglade Roux submitted a plaster bust of Delanglade to the 1931 Salon des artistes français.

Gallery of works by Constant Roux

File:Roux-Salvator.jpg, ''Les convalescents rendant hommage à Louis Salvator'' File:Bouin-Roux.jpg, ''Jean Bouin'' statue. File:Constant Ambroise Roux L'eau MuséePiscineRoubaix0 371.jpg, ''L'eau'' in La Piscine, Musée d'art et d'industrie. Roubaix. File:Constant Roux-Jean Bouin.jpg, Bust of Bouin. File:Monument devant palais princier.JPG, Monaco sculpture

Notes and references

External links