Germaine Richier French, 1902-1959

Germaine Richier was a renowned French sculptor known for her innovative exploration of the human and animal form in her works. Born in Grans, France, she studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier before moving to Paris in the 1920s. Richier was heavily influenced by contemporary artistic movements of her time, including Surrealism and Expressionism. Her unique style blended realism and abstraction, creating sculptures that expressed a complex range of emotions and concepts. Throughout her career, Richier worked with a variety of materials, including bronze, terracotta, and plaster. Her works are often characterized by distorted and deconstructed forms, reflecting her interest in ideas of transformation and metamorphosis. Richier was widely exhibited in France and abroad, and her work is now featured in many prestigious museum collections around the world. Her artistic legacy continues to influence contemporary sculptors, and she remains an important figure in 20th-century art.