Joseph Bernard, 1866-1931 : De Pierre Et De Volupté

Exhibition at the Musée Paul-Dini, Villefranche-sur-Saône, 18 October 2020 - 21 February 2021 ;
then at La Piscine, Roubaix, 20 March - 20 June 2021

A key yet little-known sculptor on the French art scene in the early 20th century, Joseph Bernard (1866-1931) was considered in the 1920s to be the equal of Bourdelle and Maillol. Marked by the legacy of Rodin, that was soon outdated, his work imposes a primitive and classical modernity and constitutes an essential milestone in the history of modern sculpture from 1905 to the 1930s.

This catalogue of the first monographic exhibition devoted to the sculptor in nearly thirty years aims to rediscover the diversity of Joseph Bernard's talents as a sculptor and draughtsman, as a singer of love and dance, and as the author of fascinating projects for decorative elements and public monuments. The tragic inspiration of his early works, anchored in the symbolist movement, rubs shoulders with a more joyful vein, mixing mythological motifs and scenes of family intimacy and drawing on models from Greek Antiquity as well as from Eastern cultures.