Michel BASSOMPIERRE, the sculptor of animal gentleness
Michel BASSOMPIERRE is one of the most important artists in the field of contemporary animal sculpture. He breathed into this discipline a singular and new style recognizable at first sight. Seductive and endearing, his work has traveled the world, releasing his bestiary of marble and bronze to the four corners of the globe.
Trained in the studio of René LELEU at the School of Fine Arts in Rouen, Michel BASSOMPIERRE learned to look. These are kilos of sketches that he makes and through which he builds his understanding of the body of the animal, this skilfully articulated machine whose line and movement he captures. It is precisely this life that he manages to bring out, making his work so sensitive. In line with François POMPON, Michel BASSOMPIERRE gets rid of the anecdote to get to the point.
Favoring animals with round shapes, Asian elephants, gorillas, bears or even horses, he achieves a shape that is both soft and precise where light never strikes the shadow. This plastic relationship also translates his link to the wild world for which he nourishes a great fascination far from any anthropomorphism. These peaceful animals that we seem to surprise in the intimacy of their lives, are embodied by bronze or Carrara marble according to the traditional codes of sculpture.
Prizes and awards
2018 Special price Evelyn and Peter Haller of the Society of Animal Artists
2017 Price François POMPON of the François POMPON Museum
1998 Gold medal of the French artists fair in Paris
1990 Grand Price of the French artists fair in Paris
1989 Grand Price of the National fair of wildlife artists in Paris
1988 Silver medal of the French artists fair in Paris
1988 Fernand Mery Price of the National fair of wildlife artists Paris
1988 Price of the TAYLOR Foundation
1987 Price of the County Concil of Loire-Atlantique
1985 Price of the JOHNSON Foundation
Trade fairs
Salon of French Artists
National Exhibition of Animal Artists
Comparison Fair, International Biennial of Human Forms
Guest of honor at the Salon National des Artistes Animaliers
Guest of honor of the Cercle Municipal des Gobelins et des Beaux-Arts
SAB Expo Brussels
BRAFA