LOUIS LEYGUE (1905-1992) - COLLECTION FRANCE CRUÈGE DE FORCEVILLE (DAUGHTER OF THE ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHER) L'Essor, [1953], very probably a single proof Sculpture. Gilded bronze proof. Two points missing, one reattached. Signed LEYGUE and stamped SUSSE Fondeur Paris on the base. Height: 86cm Provenance: France Cruège de Forceville; daughter of Pierre Cruège, designer, interior architect, close friend and author of the catalog raisonné of the sculptor's work. France Cruège de Forceville is the author of numerous publications and curator of exhibitions, a recognized specialist, CNE expert and collector. Public collection and related works: Musées de Vendôme and Atelier Louis Leygue - The patinated plaster of our sculpture model is conserved in the collections of this institution under inventory number 1985.4.268. Exhibition: Louis Leygue, sculpteur, 1905-1992 - Mont-de-Marsan, Musée Despiau-Wlérick, October 4, 2008 to February 9, 2009. Our work exhibited at this event. Bibliography: - Plaisir de France - Hors-Série - N° 192 bis of August 1954. The plaster cast of our sculpture model reproduced on page 38, on a photograph showing the artist in his studio. - Mobilier et Décoration - N° 4 of May 1959. Our work, or another bronze proof of our sculpture model, reproduced on page 13. - Pierre Cruège - Louis Leygue, sculpteur - Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000. Our sculpture model referenced under number 168 in the catalog raisonné; our work, or another bronze proof of our sculpture model, reproduced on page 124. - Christophe Richard - Louis Leygue, sculpteur, 1905-1992 - Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Musée Despiau-Wlérick, Mont-de-Marsan (October 4, 2008 - February 9, 2009), Éditions Musées de Mont-de-Marsan, 2008. Our work reproduced on page 15. Louis Leygue (1905-1992) Gifted with artistic aptitude from an early age, Louis Leygue began his training at the École Germain-Pilon with Robert Wlérick (1882-1944), before moving on to the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and then the Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he frequented the studios of Jules Coutan (1848-1939) and Paul Landowski (1875-1961). His exceptional mastery was recognized in 1931 when, at just 26, he was unanimously awarded the Grand Prix de Rome - a distinction that paved the way for numerous public commissions. However, far from taking the easy way out, Leygue's talent was always at the service of his thoughts and his constantly evolving work. Inspired by the sculptural revival inherited from Rodin and by Cubist theories, he infuses his creations with a subtle dialogue between solids and voids. His figurative subjects, both human and animal, demonstrate this - particularly his equine subjects, which take center stage. In both his drawings and his sculptures, he develops an in-depth approach in which light and movement emerge from a complex process of cutting shapes. This "cubist preoccupation" is also to be found in his monumental work, notably in his Mémorial aux Déportés de l'Ain (1949) and his Monument au prisonnier politique inconnu (1953), in which a profoundly humanist approach is also asserted. A former deportee, Leygue's drawings and sculptures are true vectors for the expression of the human soul. It was in the context of occupied France that the artist met Pierre Cruège (1913-2003), his future biographer and close friend, at the home of their mutual friend Robert Cami (1900-1975) - another Grand Prix de Rome winner. A frequent visitor to his studio, Cruège was particularly struck by his Joueur d'olifant, which he commissioned on a large scale for his apartment. This work, which was to accompany him throughout his life as a veritable "totem" of their friendship and mutual admiration, made him the sculptor's first private buyer. It inaugurated an important collection, subsequently assembled by his daughter France Cruège de Forceville, some of which is now on show at auction.