“Forgotten Master of Ancient Fencing” might sound like a character from a novel. But it describes Georges Dubois. Avenue Georges Dubois is named after him. He was no ordinary man.
Georges Dubois exhibited sculptures from about 1890. Dubois created a monument in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It commemorated Fréderic Chopin’s death. This was in 1900. World War II saw it melted down. A copy replaced it later. It sits near Sainte Beuve’s bust.
Dubois struggled to support his family through sculpture. He was an enthusiastic athlete. He even appeared in the circus. Eventually, he became a fencing master. He worked as an armorer at the Opéra-Comique.
Georges Dubois earned the title “Forgotten Master of Ancient Fencing”. He studied savate and fencing from childhood. He was interested in the intellectual challenges of ancient fencing. Dubois wrote treatises on self-defense.
In 1906, Georges Dubois participated in the “Consultative Conference on Art, Literature and Sport”. He likely knew Pierre de Coubertin. At the 1912 Stockholm Art Competitions, Dubois won a silver medal. It was for his sculpture, Model of the Entrance to a Modern Stadium.
The Revue Olympique described the work in detail in July 1912. It was a triumphal arch. It featured a bas-relief. The planned dimensions reached 14-15 meters in height and about 16 meters in width. Avenue Georges Dubois commemorates this multifaceted artist and athlete. It reminds us of his diverse talents.