Gilded bronze Art Deco sculpture of a nude dancer, early 20th c

This gilded bronze sculpture with a high-gloss patina depicts a slender dancer, frozen in a graceful, elevated movement. Her right arm stretched skywards, the other slightly drooping, she balances on the tip of a foot resting on a sphere, itself surmounting a geometric base with octagonal sides. Her bare, stylised body is treated with great formal fluidity, accentuating the impression of aerial movement. Her hair is coiffed in a pearl chignon, typical of the feminine elegance of the 1920s-1930s.

The work is an emblematic example of the Art Deco style. This movement, which emerged in the 1920s, celebrated modernity, dynamism and stylised beauty. Key characteristics of the style can be found here: geometric shapes, an elongated, idealised silhouette, an architectural base, and the exaltation of the female body in the momentum of movement. The golden aspect also reinforces the luxurious and decorative aspect of Art Deco.

As the work is unsigned, the artist remains unknown. However, this type of sculpture was popularised by artists such as Demetre Chiparus, Fayral and Pierre Le Faguays, the leading sculptors of Art Deco. They all celebrated the modern woman through dancers and sports figures, often inspired by the world of theatre or the circus, using luxurious materials such as gilded bronze, ivory or onyx.