MICHEL BASSOMPIERRE
ONE OF THE LAST GRAND MASTER OF SCULPTURE
Michel BASSOMPIERRE is one of the most important artists in the field of contemporary animal sculpture.
He has brought a unique and innovative style to this discipline, instantly recognizable at first glance. His work is captivating and endearing, and has traveled the world, spreading his marble and bronze bestiary to the four corners of the globe.
A LIFE OF PASSION
Born in Paris in 1948, Michel BASSOMPIERRE has been fascinated by drawing and modeling since childhood. He grew up in a large family with an artist mother and a scientist father. This duality would influence his future work, which is characterized by a resolutely contemporary artistic approach combined with essential anatomical rigor.
Even as a small child, he would spend hours marveling at the animals in the Jardin des Plantes, which he would then tirelessly reproduce, lying on the floor on rolls of wallpaper, or sculpting in clay or modeling clay.
"I am an old child who continues to make toys.
I need to bring to life this Noah's Ark that is in my head. These animals that I admire
for their shape, their size, their power... are in my head, in my mind, in my heart too, and I can recreate them endlessly."
"I have a passion for animal sculptures, and when I had the chance to witness the birth of a gorilla from the masterful hands of BASSOMPIERRE, I fell in love.
As much for the work, in its gentleness and beauty, as for the artist in his poetic candor. The animals, I would say BASSOMPIERRE's friends, reflect all his humanity. He knows and tames the wild world and gives our animals life, grace, and dignity."
FRANCOIS CLUZET, ACTOR
JACQUES WEBER, ACTOR & FILM DIRECTOR
“BASSOMPIERRE is pure magic! The silver-backed gorilla is so beautiful, its movements are incredible! It's overwhelming. It's sensual and powerfully restrained, sublime.”
PHILIPPE GELUCK, ILLUSTRATOR,
DAD OF "LE CHAT"
"It is a joy for an artist to admire another artist. There is no greater feeling in art than admiring other artists and their work. This is certainly true of Michel's work. His large-scale pieces invite you to touch them. First you look at them, then you approach them. You almost want to smell them, but above all you want to touch them. ”
THE MAGIC OF CREATION
Trained in LELEU's studio at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, Michel BASSOMPIERRE learned to observe. He produced thousands of sketches in zoos, circus menageries, and even at the National Museum of Natural History, through which he built his understanding of the animal body, that marvel of natural engineering, capturing its lines and movements.
"There are four people in my head: the animal artist (who observes and understands his subject and its behavior), the anatomist (who understands the structure of bodies), the draftsman (who masters the line that captures movement), and the sculptor (who transcribes it into
volume). But in the end, it's always the sculptor who decides! It takes me a month or two to analyze my subject. But to master it completely, it takes about ten years. And
to understand sculpture, it takes 50 years."
A UNIQUE STYLE
While drawing is crucial to the creative process, the modeling that goes into it completes the whole. Michel Bassompierre strips away the anecdotal to get to the heart of the matter. Favoring animals with rounded shapes, such as bears, gorillas, Asian elephants, and horses, he achieves a form that is both gentle and precise.
"Round shapes lend themselves very well to sculpture. The power and roundness that emanate from animals are sublimated by the play of light and shadow."
"A worthy heir to illustrious sculptors — from the masters of the Renaissance to the famous
POMPON—Michel BASSOMPIERRE, in a style that is uniquely his own, takes us on a long journey into an adventure as unexpected as it is
delicate, as exciting as it is wild... among those whom we should take better care of, our cousins, our brothers."
EDWARD VIGNOT,
ART HISTORIAN
BRUNO LAVILLATTE, PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR, RENAISSANCE SPECIALIST
"Why is BASSOMPIERRE's work so highly regarded today? Precisely because of the softness of the lines and the calm strength of the movement reduced to its essence, freed from the
constraints of the material. And that is why the public is drawn to it, because fundamentally, "you can't make art that speaks to the masses when you have nothing to say to them," as MALRAUX ironically pointed out."
CATHERINE GRAS, HONORARY HERITAGE CURATOR, FORMERLY IN CHARGE OF THE POMPON MUSEUM
"Although they have original and distinctive styles, there are many similarities between François POMPON and Michel BASSOMPIERRE, particularly in the stages of creation, as well as in their search for smooth volumes and the rendering of contours highlighted by light. By eliminating detail and focusing on postures and precise gestures, Michel BASSOMPIERRE seeks to convey the rounded, ball-like aspect of animals, whether at rest or in motion, which is synonymous with gentleness and kindness. This nature lover succeeds in transcribing beauty, harmony, and fulfillment in his lively animals, with their smooth, soothing forms and expressive gazes, which one would gladly caress. We must thank Michel BASSOMPIERRE, who, in these difficult times, succeeds in drawing us into the contemplation of his animal world, where everything is gentleness, tenderness, and carefreeness, allowing us to forget, for a few moments, the harsh reality of the human world."
HIS BROTHER ANIMAL
Michel BASSOMPIERRE has a deep fascination with the living world . For him, animals are neither foreign nor incidental. In fact, he feels much closer to his " sister the plant“ and his ”animal brother" than to many humans. Far from any anthropomorphism, he depicts them for what they are, in all their tranquility, magnetism, and majesty.
"Sculpture is above all the expression of animals, and animals represent freedom and the beauty of life.
I was 14 or 15 when I felt that the animal world was mine. I am one of those people who are nature lovers and who are in awe of life.
Our duty is to help others admire all these wonders of nature that they pass by without realizing it. We must share our sense of beauty and create a sense of wonder. This reconnection with the beauty of nature is necessary to inspire a desire to protect it.
The more we know about our surroundings, the more we learn about them, the more humble we feel in the face of nature, and the more we want to respect this extraordinary natural world.
If my work can help protect the living world, at least I can tell myself that I will have served a purpose."
"Michel BASSOMPIERRE, my dear friend, shines as the undisputed master of animal sculpture, sharing his talent around the world with exceptional technique and boundless imagination. His poetic creations, one of which tenderly embellishes the garden of the GoodPlanet Foundation that I created, reveal a unique fusion between his scientific and artistic approaches. He is simply an extraordinary artist and a wonderful person. "
YANN ARTHUS-BERTRAND,
PHOTOGRAPHER & FILM DIRECTOR
AURÉLIE LUNEAU, DOCTOR IN HISTORY, ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALIST AT FRANCE CULTURE
"True to himself, Michel Bassompierre has a rare gift for communicating with his beloved animals—bears, gorillas, horses—and bringing them to life before our eyes. It is an undeniable art, but also a weapon, one that uses wonder to curb human folly on earth and shape the world to come."
SABRINA KRIEF, PRIMATOLOGIST, PROFESSOR AT THE NATIONAL NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
"Michel's gorillas, male, imposing, and full-bodied, bear no trace of human intervention. In this world, free of blandness and softness, man steps aside, sensitive and humble, to make way for the animal and its elegance. If the harmony of Michel's studio radiated all the way to the forests of Africa, what a relief it would be to see the same tranquility in the eyes of the great apes..."
ISABELLE AUTISSIER, HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE WWF
"I love Michel's work. I love the character, what he exudes, we all agree that he is a wonderful person. It is an honor to know him, to spend time with him. Art and nature go hand in hand. The emotion we feel in nature or the emotion we feel in Michel's work, which is part of human culture, ultimately connect completely within us. I feel the same kind of emotion when I look at his work as when I see an albatross in the southern seas. And I also think that this connection is essential to properly defend our nature. In fact, we only fight for what we love. We love our family, we love our country, and that's when we want to fight. I think that beauty and art allow us to integrate these values and make us want to fight for them."
PRIZES AND AWARDS
2025: Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters
2018 : Evelyn and Peter Haller Special Award from The Society of Animal Artists
2017 : François POMPON Prize
1998 : Gold Medal at the Salon des Artistes Français
1990 : Grand Prix of the Salon of French Artists
1989 : Grand Prix of the National Animal Artists Exhibition
1988 : Silver Medal from the Salon des Artistes Français
1988 : Fernand Mery Prize from the National Salon of Animal Artists
1988 : TAYLOR Foundation Award
1987 : Prize from the General Council of Loire-Atlantique
1985 : JOHNSON Foundation Prize