Paul Maximilien Landowski (1 June 1875 – 31 March 1961) was a French monument sculptor of Polish descent. His best-known work is '' Christ the Redeemer'' in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil.

Biography

Landowski was born 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 ...

, France, of a Polish refugee father of the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

, and a French mother Julie Vieuxtemps, daughter of Henri Vieuxtemps. He studied at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

, before graduating from 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 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 ...

in 1900 with his statue of

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, and went on to a fifty-five-year career. He produced over thirty five monuments in the city of Paris and twelve more in the surrounding area. Among those is the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

figure of St. Genevieve on the 1928 Pont de la Tournelle. During

World War I 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 ...

, he fought in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

among others, which led to him receiving the Citation of the Order of the Artillery Brigade and the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. The war greatly impacted his art, and soon after armistice, he created ''Les Fantomes'', the French Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne which stands upon the Butte de Chalmont in Northern France, and the two major Monuments aux Morts in

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

, respectively known as ''Le Pavois'' in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

(hidden since 1978 in the Memorial to the Liberation of Algeria) and the ''monument à la victoire et à la paix'' in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

(originally on today's Mohammed V Square, relocated to France in 1961 and re-erected in 1965 in

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hauts-de-France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other ...

). Landowski is widely known for the 1931 '' Christ the Redeemer'' statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a collaboration with civil engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and architect and sculptor Gheorghe Leonida. Some sources indicate Landowski designed Christ's head and hands, but it was Leonida who created the head when asked by Landowski. His statue titled "The Boxer" won a gold medal at the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics for Sculpture, which was part of the

art competitions at the summer Olympics Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1948. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Coubertin, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Couberti ...

from 1912 to 1952. The medal accelerated his fame and led to high-profile commissions around the world. From 1933 through 1937 he was Director of the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

. He also served as an art–juror with Florence Meyer Blumenthal in awarding 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 ...

, a grant given between 1919–1954 to young French painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers and musicians. Landowski married Geneviève Nénot in 1907 and had two children: the painter Nadine Landowski (1908–1943) and agricultural engineer and Legion d’Honneur Jean Maximilian Landowski (1911-1944), both of whom died during World War II. Geneviève died in 1912, and he married Amélie Cruppi, who gave him two more children: composer Marcel Landowski (1915–1999), and pianist and painter Françoise Landowski-Caillet (1917–2007). After having a heart attack in 1961, Landowski passed away in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

, a suburb of Paris, where a museum dedicated to his work has over 100 works on display.

References

External links

Official web site

Paul Landowski Collection at Google Cultural Institute
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landowski, Paul 1875 births 1961 deaths Prix Blumenthal Christ the Redeemer (statue) Sculptors from Paris French architectural sculptors Prix de Rome for sculpture Olympic gold medalists in art competitions French people of Polish descent Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Burials at Passy Cemetery 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics Art competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics