Clarisse Levy-kinbourg (1896-1956) - “derbouka Player”

Original terracotta Modeled and fired by the artist Unique piece Around 1930/35 Signed “CL Kinsbourg” on the front terrace Height: 15 cm Width: 13 cm – Depth: 14 cm Biography: Clarisse LEVY-KINSBOURG (1896-1959) Daughter of Edmond Kinsbourg, horse dealer and Rachael Grosmutt, she was born on July 31, 1896 in Saint Maurice (Val de Marne). At 16, she married Roger Levy known as Debled, a 20-year-old law student, from whom she divorced in 1929. (from this date, she systematically added her maiden name to that of her husband. Clarisse Levy-Kinsbourg participated for the first time at the Salon des Artistes français in 1920, exhibiting a study of an old man in patinated plaster. She participated again in 1921 and 1922 and became a member of the Society of French Artists. From 1924, she participated regularly in the Salon des Artistes français. Salon In 1930, she received the Compagnie Paquet Prize which gave her the right to a first class round trip from Marseille to Casablanca and very probably allowed her to visit Morocco. In 1933, Clarisse Levy-Kinsbourg participated for the first time. at the Salon of the Société Coloniales des Artistes Françis (SCAF) with three sculptures: “Young Moroccan Woman from Fez”, onyx bust from Morocco, “African Woman”, bust in yellow marble from Siena and “Martiniquaise”, bronze bust from the same. year, she was winner of the city of Paris prize which she won in front of the painter Roger Nivelt. This prize was accompanied, for each of the two winners, by a grant of 18,000 francs to cover the expenses of their stay in North Africa. She is participating in a Marianne project that could be presented in municipal establishments. The jury selected Clarisse Levy-Kinsbourg's project ahead of those of MM Belmondo, Collamarini, Contesse, Costa, Gimondo, Jégou, Malfray, Martial, Martin, Montagnon and Pommier. In 1936, she participated for the first time at the Salon des Tuileries where she exhibited under her maiden name, a sculpture called “Fillette de Marakech”, and in 1937, for the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques, it was her ordered a stone sculpture of an oriental woman and was awarded a gold medal. Between 1937 and 1940, she participated in various exhibitions: the Salon de la SCAF, Salon des Tuileries. In 1940 she won the Dumoulin Prize for Algeria, and it was therefore for Algeria that she was able to leave once again. We can easily imagine that being of the Israeli faith, Clarisse Lévy Kinsbourg spent the years of occupation in the Maghreb. Little information concerning this period has reached us. It was not until 1946 that it made its return to the Salons; Salon of Fine Arts, Salon of the SBAFOM (Society of Fine Arts of Overseas), Salon of French Artists… Clarisse Lévy Kinsbourg died on October 14, 1959, at the age of 63 in Paris. She is buried in the Montparnasse cemetery. Source: “The representation of black in French and Belgian sculpture” by Stéphane RICHEMOND