Struggling with want yet inspired by romance, Antoine-Louis Barye left his mark on the world. We stand before the Antoine Louis Barye Plaque. It commemorates a remarkable French sculptor. Barye was born in Paris on September 24, 1795. He died in this very house on June 25, 1875.
Antoine-Louis Barye began his artistic journey as a goldsmith. Like many sculptors of the Romantic Period, he honed his skills in metalwork. He worked under his father Pierre. Around 1810, he worked under Martin-Guillaume Biennais. Biennais was a goldsmith to Napoleon.
In 1818, Barye was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts. But his true passion emerged while working for goldsmith Emile Fauconnier. Watching animals at the Jardin des Plantes sparked his interest. He made detailed studies of them. Barye captured their forms in pencil drawings and sculptures.
Barye sculpted a medallion named Milo of Crotana Devoured by a Lion in 1819. He earned an honorable mention for it. Around 1820, he sculpted Hercules with the Erymanthean Boar. Barye excelled in representing animals in familiar poses. He sculpted Young Man in a Beret and Portrait of the Founder Richard. He also sculpted Poised Stag.
Antoine-Louis Barye aspired to be more than a sculptor of small bronzes. He wanted to create large statues. In 1831, he exhibited Tiger Devouring a Gavial Crocodile. He also exhibited Lion Crushing a Serpent. In 1832, he mastered his unique style with Lion with a Snake.
Barye’s career was marked by a constant struggle with financial hardship. Yet, he continued to produce studies of animals. These works revealed a spirit of romance and a feeling for the beauty of the antique. His notable works include Theseus and the Minotaur. Also Roger and Angelica on the Hippogriff, Lapitha and Centaur, and Jaguar Devouring a Hare.
Théophile Gautier praised Barye. He said that Barye aggrandized his animal subjects. He simplified them and stylized them. This made him the Michelangelo of the menagerie.
Barye’s larger works include the Lion of the Column of July. He also created lions and tigers for the Tuileries gardens. Also the four groups War, Peace, Strength, and Order.
Despite his sculpting talent, Barye struggled financially. In 1848, he declared bankruptcy. All his work and molds were sold. His reputation suffered. In 1876, Ferdinand Barbedienne foundry bought Barye’s remaining inventory. The Barbedienne castings were of superb quality.
Recognition came later in life for Antoine-Louis Barye. In 1854, he became Professor of Drawings at the Museum of Natural History. In 1868, he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He created no new works after 1869.
Barye is remembered as a great animal life artist. He refined this art form. He influenced artists like Emmanuel Frémiet, Paul-Édouard Delabrièrre, Auguste Cain, and Georges Gardet. There is a public square dedicated to him on the eastern tip of Île Saint-Louis.
Antoine-Louis Barye’s son, Alfred Barye, also became an animalier sculptor. Alfred struggled to gain recognition. He worked in the shadow of his famous father. The senior Barye signed his bronzes simply “Barye.”