Online François Pompon: Polar Bear Small Clear Sculpture Sculpture

An artful gift .This small sculpture recalls François Pompon’s (French, 1855–1933) marble polar bear (ca. 1923) in The Met collection. Classically trained at the cole des beaux-arts and the cole nationale des arts décoratifs in Paris, Pompon was a studio assistant to Auguste Rodin from 1890–97, and a frequent exhibitor at official French salons. He first exhibited a life-sized plaster version of this sculpture at the 1922 Salon d’automne at the age of 67; its popularity led to many related models in a variety of sizes and materials. While the animalier genre reached its height in mid-19th-century France, the public taste for it, lasted well into the 20th century. Classically trained at the École des beaux-arts and the cole nationale des arts décoratifs in Paris, the sculptor Pompon was a frequent exhibitor at official French salons, and a studio assistant to Auguste Rodin from 1890 to 1897.