Germaine Richier

Germaine Richier was a pioneering female sculptor who revitalized the figure in post-war modern art. This reassessment of her work establishes her as a significant figure in 20th-century sculpture, exploring her themes of identity, existence, and our relationship with nature.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 25 May 2023
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Germaine Richier (1902-59) holds a pivotal place in the annals of modern sculpture. Primarily employing bronze, her artistic endeavors breathed new life into the figure, crafting groundbreaking representations of men and women in the post-war era that seamlessly merged the human body with natural elements in a captivating blend of abstraction and figuration.

As the pioneering woman artist to achieve a solo exhibition in her lifetime at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, in the 1940s and 1950s, she secured a distinctive position as a successful female career artist, showcasing her work internationally and developing a style that has often been overshadowed by the dominant male canon.

This comprehensive reassessment of Richier's entire body of work establishes her as a pivotal figure within the artistic milieu of her era, and more broadly, her profound influence on 20th-century sculpture. Contributors such as Mika Biermann, Marie Darrieussecq, Maryline Desbiolles, and Philippe Lançon, the philosopher Geneviève Fraisse, the anthropologist Charles Stépanoff, and the artist ORLAN, critically analyze the contemporary relevance of Richier's creations, where her themes of identity, existence, and our relationship with nature remain increasingly pertinent in our modern world.

To complement this comprehensive volume, an anthology of the artist's own writings, along with excerpts from previously unpublished letters, provides a deeper understanding of Germaine Richier's distinct artistic originality. This long overdue appreciation serves as a testament to her remarkable contributions to the field of sculpture.

Weight: 1600g
Dimension: 300 x 230 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500027097