Art Deco Figurines from the Collections of Sergey Morozov and Evgeny Gerasimov

The display presents examples of small-scale Art Deco sculpture rarely found in museums in this country from the collections of two Saint Petersburgers.

The astonishingly beautiful and exquisite sculptures were made in the complex chryselephantine technique, the basis of which is the combination of patinated bronze and ivory in a single piece. In such works, the majority of the human figure and its costume were cast in bronze, while the faces, hands and feet were carved from ivory. An important role in the creation of such compositions was also played by the pedestal of semiprecious stone to which the statuette was attached.

One of the most famous Art Deco sculptors who worked in the chryselephantine technique was Demétre Chiparus (1886–1947), a Romanian who settled in Paris. His statuettes are marked by immaculate workmanship with virtuoso chasing of the fine details. The sculptor’s creations are characterized by dynamism and elaborate compositions, a bright palette, a variety of shapes and colourful stone bases. At the same time as Chiparus, France was home to a whole constellation of other splendid sculptors: Pierre le Faguays, Marcel Bouraine, Claire Jeanne Roberte Colinet, Alexandre Kéléty and more.

The world of the theatre, carnival and fashion was one of the main sources of inspiration for sculptors of this tendency. This is exemplified by such works as Steps by Chiparus, Dance by Bouraine and Harlequin’s Dance by Alfred Gilbert. Claire J. R. Colinet’s Turkish Dance also represents the Eastern theme that was popular among exponents of small-scale plastic art.

A special influence was exerted on Art Deco works, and on figurines in particular, by Sergei Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons”. For example, the clothing of Chiparus’s Oriental Dancer (the baggy trousers, headdress and other details) may have been created under the impression of the impresario’s production of the ballet Schéhérezade with music by Rimsky-Korsakov and costumes designed by Léon Bakst. In certain cases, the Art Deco sculptors are known to have used contemporary photographs of celebrated performers when creating their compositions.

The depiction of animals, which had already become a common genre back in the 19th century, was also popular in Art Deco figurines. They were quite often presented alongside human figures (as in Armand Godard’s Morning Walk) but could also be independent compositions (Lucille Sévin’s Ducks). The exhibition also features a rare work by a Russian sculptor – Georgy Lavrov’s Pheasant Hunt.

The display includes works by the well-known German sculptor Ferdinand Preiss which were very popular in his homeland. The majority of them depict energetic young women mastering new professions or engaged in fashionable dances. This sculptor was particularly drawn to the theme of sport (Golf; Figure Skater; Javelin Thrower). As well as Preiss’s works, art lovers and collectors appreciated the statuettes produced by his fellow Germans Otto Poertzel, Hans Harders and Gustav Schmidt-Cassel, all three of whom are also represented in the exhibition.

Among the exhibits there are works of small-scale plastic art by Austrian sculptors who attained great fame – Bruno Zach and Gerda Gottstein, who signed her works Gerdago. Zach produced sporting and animal scenes, as well as depictions of dancers. Gerdago’s figurines present exceptionally complex, dynamic poses with their creator devoting great attention to working up the details of their costumes and headwear, as well as the colour scheme (Temple Dancer).

Art Deco figurines are a striking, but very brief phenomenon in the history of 20th-century sculpture. It spanned just two decades and expired with the outbreak of the Second World War. Interest in the works of the 1920s and ’30s revived only at the end of the century.

The exhibition has been prepared by the State Hermitage’s Department of Western European Fine Art (headed by Sergei Olegovich Androsov, Doctor of Art Studies). The curator is Yelena Ivanovna Karcheva, Candidate of Art Studies, Senior Researcher in the Department of Western European Fine Art.

A scholarly illustrated catalogue in Russian has been produced for the exhibition (Saint Petersburg: Propilei, 2020).