Emmanuel Villanis (12 December 1858 - 28 August 1914) 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 ...

. He was born in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He studied at the

Accademia Albertina The Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti ("Albertina Academy of Fine Arts") is an institution of higher education in Turin, Italy History In the first half of the seventeenth century, there was a "University of Painters, Sculptors and Architects" ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, where one of his teachers was

Odoardo Tabacchi Odoardo Tabacchi (Valganna, 19 December 1836 - Milan, 23 March 1905) was an Italian sculptor. Biography Early life and education Odoardo Tabacchi was born in Valganna on 19 December 1836. He enrolled at the Brera Academy in Milan at the age o ...

. In 1885, Villanis lived in Paris and became one of the most productive sculptors towards the end of the 19th century. His female bronze busts, cast by the '' Society de Bronze de Paris'', were exported all over the world from Paris, particularly to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Today his sculptures can be found regularly at auctions. He is believed to have created some 200 to 250 pieces. His body of work consisted of busts and full body statues. The majority of these were cast in bronze, but there are also models in white metal, Spelter and Terra Cotta. Today he is recognised as one of the foremost sculptors of the Art Nouveau era and is his work is highly sought after by collectors.

References

* Florian Haberey / Pascal Launay: Emmanuel Villanis - Ein Bildhauer der Jahrhundertwende. Weltkunst 71. Jahrg. Nr. 13 (Nov. 2001) * Pascal Launay et Florian Haberey: Portrait d´artiste: Emmanuel Villanis - sous le signe de la musique. La Gazette de l ´Hôtel Drouot, no 27, 6. juillet 2001, page 12–14. * Josje Hortulanus-de Mik: Emmanuel Villanis. , 2002.

External links

Partial list of works by Villais

Text in French. * 1858 births 1914 deaths Artists from Lille Accademia Albertina alumni 20th-century French sculptors 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists {{France-sculptor-stub