Denys Puech
Encyclopedia
Denys Puech was a French sculptor.
, Député
for the Seine Department from 1898 to 1932, and Minister of Public Works from 3 November 1910 to 27 February 1911), he began as an apprentice in the marble workshop of François Mahoux in Rodez. In 1872, after 2 years training, he pursued an apprenticeship in Paris in the workshop of François Jouffroy
then of Alexandre Falguière
and Henri Chapu
, at the same time following an evening course at the Beaux-Arts
.
1881 and 1883 saw his first successes, when he twice won the second prize in the prix de Rome
contest, for his Tyrtaeus
singing the Messanians (Tyrtée chantant les Messéniennes) and Diagoras
dying for joy on learning of his two victorious children's triumph at the Olympic Games (Diagoras mourant de joie en apprenant le triomphe de ses deux enfants vainqueurs aux Jeux Olympiques) respectively. He at last won first prize in 1884, with Wounded Mezentius
(Mézence blessé).
From then on he received several official commissions from the French Third Republic
, sculpting (among others) busts of Jules Ferry
(1895), Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
(1898), Émile Loubet
(1901) and Benito Mussolini
(1925). In all, 573 works are inventoried. He founded a museum of fine art in Rodez in 1903 (now the Musée Denys-Puech
). The building, inaugurated in 1910, was designed by him in conjunction with the architect Boyer to best show off his sculptures.
He was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
in 1905, and made a knight of the Légion d'honneur
on 17 January 1908. On 13 May 1908 he married princess Anina Gagarine Stourdza (1 June 1865 – 14 April 1918), a painter herself. He was Director of the French Academy in Rome
from 1921 to 1933.
Among those who studies with him was the American sculptor Ernest Keyser
.
Life
From a family of farmers (his brother was Louis PuechLouis Puech
Louis Puech was a député of the French Third Republic and Minister of Public Works in the second government of Aristide Briand from 3 November 1910 to 24 February 1911. During his 30 years in office he was inscribed with the group of Républicains de gauche...
, Député
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
for the Seine Department from 1898 to 1932, and Minister of Public Works from 3 November 1910 to 27 February 1911), he began as an apprentice in the marble workshop of François Mahoux in Rodez. In 1872, after 2 years training, he pursued an apprenticeship in Paris in the workshop of François Jouffroy
François Jouffroy
François Jouffroy was a French sculptor.Jouffroy was born in Dijon, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1824. In 1832 he won the Prix de Rome...
then of Alexandre Falguière
Alexandre Falguière
Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière was a French sculptor and painter.He was born in Toulouse...
and Henri Chapu
Henri Chapu
Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu was a French sculptor in a modified Neoclassical tradition who was known for his use of allegory in his works.-Life and career:...
, at the same time following an evening course at the Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
.
1881 and 1883 saw his first successes, when he twice won the second prize in the prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
contest, for his Tyrtaeus
Tyrtaeus
Tyrtaeus was a Greek poet who composed verses in Sparta around the time of the Second Messenian War, the date of which isn't clearly establishedsometime in the latter part of the seventh century BC...
singing the Messanians (Tyrtée chantant les Messéniennes) and Diagoras
Diagoras
Diagoras may refer to:*Diagoras of Melos Atheist philosopher and poet *Diagoras of Rhodes boxer, olympionike *Diagoras a Greek physician quoted in Natural History of Pliny*Diagoras F.C...
dying for joy on learning of his two victorious children's triumph at the Olympic Games (Diagoras mourant de joie en apprenant le triomphe de ses deux enfants vainqueurs aux Jeux Olympiques) respectively. He at last won first prize in 1884, with Wounded Mezentius
Mezentius
In Roman mythology, Mezentius was an Etruscan king, and father of Lausus. Sent into exile because of his cruelty, he moved to Latium. He reveled in bloodshed and was overwhelmingly savage on the battlefield, but more significantly to a Roman audience he was a contemptor divum, a "despiser of the...
(Mézence blessé).
From then on he received several official commissions from the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, sculpting (among others) busts of Jules Ferry
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...
(1895), Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history.-Early years:...
(1898), Émile Loubet
Émile Loubet
Émile François Loubet was a French politician and the 8th President of France.-Early life:He was born the son of a peasant proprietor and mayor of Marsanne . Admitted to the Parisian bar in 1862, he took his doctorate in law the next year...
(1901) and Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
(1925). In all, 573 works are inventoried. He founded a museum of fine art in Rodez in 1903 (now the Musée Denys-Puech
Musée Denys-Puech
The Musée Denys-Puech is an art gallery in Rodez, France. It was founded in 1903 by the sculptor Denys Puech , winner of the prix de Rome in 1884 and one of the official sculptors of the French Third Republic. The building was completed in 1910 by the architect A...
). The building, inaugurated in 1910, was designed by him in conjunction with the architect Boyer to best show off his sculptures.
He was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
Académie des beaux-arts
The Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
in 1905, and made a knight of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
on 17 January 1908. On 13 May 1908 he married princess Anina Gagarine Stourdza (1 June 1865 – 14 April 1918), a painter herself. He was Director of the French Academy in Rome
French Academy in Rome
The French Academy in Rome is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio in Rome, Italy.-History:...
from 1921 to 1933.
Among those who studies with him was the American sculptor Ernest Keyser
Ernest Keyser
Ernest Keyser American sculptor born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 10, 1876. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, at the Art Students League in New York City and at the Académie Julien and with Denys Puech in Paris....
.
Works
- AuroraAurora (mythology)Aurora is the Latin word for dawn, the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology and Latin poetry.Like Greek Eos and Rigvedic Ushas , Aurora continues the name of an earlier Indo-European dawn goddess, *Hausos....
, 1900, Musée d'OrsayMusée d'OrsayThe Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
, Paris - La Pensée, 1902, polychromePolychromePolychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
marble, Paris, Musée du Petit-Palais. - Nymph of Night, 1904,
External links
- 14 sculptures La Sirène Bronze version. Barbedien foundry Denys Pierre PUECH Biography & Photos http://books.google.com/books/pdf/Denys_Puech_et_son_oeuvre.pdf?id=guUEAAAAYAAJ&output=pdf&sig=gb2zVkIFPY3lKthaHWaE1z207EU <
> (Work available on "GOOGLE BOOKS" - Public Domain) Denys Pierre PUECH Grave site memorial (English & Français)