Michel BASSOMPIERRE

Affiche d'une exposition du sculpteur animalier Michel BASSOMPIERRE au Musée POMPON et dans la ville de Saulieu

In 1922, François POMPON was revealed to the general public after presenting his Ours blanc at the Salon d'Automne. To celebrate this centenary, the Pompon Museum in Saulieu, the town from which it originates, has chosen to honor the work of its worthy successor: Michel BASSOMPIERRE.

Until September 30, as part of this exceptional exhibition, six monumental bears are presented in the city and at the Relais Bernard LOISEAU. The François POMPON Museum houses around twenty marbles and bronzes , as well as drawings and sketches by the artist .

Michel BASSOMPIERRE, the sculptor of animal gentleness

Le sculpteur animalier Michel BASSOMPIERRE avec un de ses ours en bronze

Michel BASSOMPIERRE is one of the most important artists in the field of contemporary animal sculpture.

Born in Paris in 1948, he was captivated from childhood by drawing and modeling. He grew up between an artist mother and a scientist father. This duality will influence his future work, which combines a resolutely contemporary plastic approach with an essential anatomical rigor.

Trained in René LELEU's studio at the School of Fine Arts in Rouen, Michel BASSOMPIERRE learned to look. Thanks to the thousands of sketches he made at the zoo or in the circuses, he built his understanding of the body of the animal, this skilfully articulated machine whose line and movement he captured. In line with François POMPON , he gets rid of the anecdote to get to the point.

Favoring animals with round shapes, bears, gorillas, elephants or horses, he achieves a silhouette that is both soft and precise, where light never strikes the shadow. This visual relationship translates his link to the wild world for which he nourishes a great fascination, far from any anthropomorphism.

Find out more about Michel BASSOMPIERRE

POMPON and BASSOMPIERRE: animal artists with a unique artistic approach

If François POMPON and Michel BASSOMPIERRE are known for their bears, they share many other points in common such as their fascination for the animal or the elimination of details. But from this common base, they each developed very different styles, with a unique approach to sculpture…

To find out more about the two sculptors

The exhibition at the François POMPON Museum

It invites visitors to discover around twenty marbles and bronzes of gorillas, bears, horses, elephants, as well as drawings and sketches by Michel BASSOMPIERRE.

1 place of Doctor Roclore

21 210 Saulieu

Monday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday and public holidays from 10.30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Prices: €3 per person. Free for under 18s and for all Sundays

Where to see the works in the streets of Saulieu

A word from the Mayor of Saulieu Martine MAZILLY
and the Cultural Assistant Marie-Claude OVERNEY

Inviting Michel BASSOMPIERRE, to celebrate the centenary of the Polar Bear by François POMPON, sounds obvious... The presence of the works of this contemporary sculptor, in the museum and in the open air in the town of Saulieu, reveals the common points shared by these two animal artists, even if they each developed different styles. To cross their gaze on animal beauty is to show that by concentrating on the essentials of the forms, they elegantly underline the very essence of a beast, the softness of the curves and postures, the light which glides over powerful muscles.

POMPON - BASSOMPIERRE, everything unites them: the technique and the expertise of the modelers and stonemasons, as well as the humility and the benevolence of the great men, which one guesses in the depths of the eyes. This artistic and human fusion makes this exhibition, without a doubt, the sacred union of the Grand Masters.

A word from the Director of the François POMPON Museum
Laurence JOIN

The City of Saulieu commemorates this year the centenary of the polar bear of François POMPON (1855-1933). It was indeed in 1922 that the artist from Sédéloc presented this sculpture at the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Having become mythical and popular, this work aroused a passion that opened the doors to fame and gave a second wind to his career. The artist is then considered one of the best animal painters of his time, bringing to 20th century sculpture a new and modern vision which paved the way for many artists.

To celebrate this centenary, the city of Saulieu and the François POMPON Museum present, from May to September, several sculptures by Michel BASSOMPIERRE: six monumental bears installed in the open air will complete the museum exhibition. A unique opportunity to see that these two artists, driven by the same fascination for the animal world and
clean shapes, develop a style of their own, even if they both take a tender look at their models.

Find out more about Michel BASSOMPIERRE

The sculptor of animal gentleness