“cute” Bronze Bust Emmanuel Villanis

Bronze bust with double patina, representing a bust of a young girl called "MIGNON" by Emmanuel Villanis. Signature of the sculptor "E. VILLANIS", in hollow, on the back of the bust. Old cast iron. Period early 20th century, Art Nouveau. Good state of conservation and patina. Emmanuel Villanis (1858 - 1914) French sculptor linked to the Art Nouveau movement. He comes from a family of Italian origin. In 1871, the young man enrolled at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin; there he followed the teaching of the sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi. As soon as he finished his studies, his master encouraged him to exhibit: his bust "Alda" was thus presented in Milan in 1881. He fled Italy because of the war of independence. In 1885, Villanis settled in Montmartre, a district of Paris that he never left. The artist's reputation was built on his production of female figures. Aida, Judith, Delilah, Lucrezia, Cinderella: the work of Emmanuel Villanis brings together the great heroines of opera, literature, mythology and the Bible. Villanis also tackles certain types - the Bohemian, the Chatelaine, or the Parisian - and several allegories, including Painting and Sculpture. Made mainly in bronze, sometimes chryselephantine, Villanis' sculptures bear the lettering of the title that regularly adorns the base. His play on patinas further adds to the finesse of the line, making Emmanuel Villanis one of the major sculptors of Art Nouveau. E. Villanis participated in the Universal Exhibition of 1889 in Paris, and in that of Chicago in 1893.