ART DECO AMERICA  
     
 
We are featuring American sculptures in the gallery at present that truly typify and capture the spirit of the Art Deco movement in 1930/s America.
Four works by Cleveland's Joseph Motto, also other works by Allan Clark , unique sculptures by Leonard Craske, and Josephine Kern (Mrs James Mapes Dodge). Two sculptures of Jazz singers by Helene Sardeau, a dancer by Emory Pius Seidel, a rare standing nude by Russian / American Simon Moselsio and a life-size modernist head by Rochette and Parzini
 
 
 
Joseph Motto (American 1889-1965) "Adolescence" Bronze sculpture exhibited in1930 at The Cleveland Museum of Art. Signed and stamped made in Austria wi th numbers 10119
Dimensions : Total height 16 inches, height of marble 2 inches

 
   
   
     
 
 
Joseph Motto ( American 1889-1965)"Leaping Gazelle", signed pair identical bronzes
Dimensions: 10&1/2in high, 8&3/4in long
   
         
   
   
     
 
Joseph Motto (American 1889-1965) " Head of a young woman" Signed Bronze sculpture circa 1929. A similar sculpture is illustrated on page 32 of The Cleveland Museum of Art Exhibition Catalogue of Joseph Motto of an example belonging to Mary Motto Robertson.
Dimensions: Total height 10&1/2  inches, width 6 inches. Height of marble 2 inches


   

Allan Clark (American 1896-1950) Bronze signed and dated 1924, of a Socialite, with Roman Bronze Works Foundry inscription.
Dimensions Total height 13&1/2 inches .
   
   

 
   
Leonard Craske (American 1882 -1950) "The Joy of Life " Marble signed and dated 1929 ( Exhibited at the California Legion of Honor Lincoln Park San Francisco April 27th, 1929, exhibition # 1325) Unique Marble sculpture.  A bronze taken from this original marble was sold by Fontaines auction in March 2007 Lot 247 $50,000
Dimensions: height 26 inches by 18 inches wide by 15 inches deep
   
   
 
Josephine Kern (Mrs James Mapes Dodge) (American 1920's) "Hercules Archer".
  Bronze sculpture on marble base signed and with foundry marks for Gorham Foundry .Unique cast.
Dimensions: Total height 22 &3/4 inches by 24 inches in legnth, height of marble base alone 2 &1/2 inches.
   
     
   

       
Helene Sardeau (Belgian/American 1899-1968). Two signed and dated 1928 bronze studies with foundry marks for Valsuani of Paris. One of the two cire-perdu bronze sculptures possibly depicts the African American dancer Joe Alex (The Giant) These two sculptures can also be used to form a pair of bookends. The artist Paul Colin (French 1892-1985) created the poster of Joe Alex with Josephine Baker (American 1906- 1975) for "Bal Negre", a spectacular event at The Theatre des Champs Elysees on the 11 th of Febuary 1927, attended by over 3,000 Parisians. In 1929 African American dancers were again celebrated in the set of hand colored lithographs by him, titled "Le Tumulte Noir ".From 1926 to 1929, Helene Sardeau had her own studio in Paris were she studied on her own for three years, so Joe Alex may well have posed for her. These sculptures were exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, Paris 1928. In 1931 Sardeau married the American artist George Biddle, moved to New York and studied under Mahonri Young  (American 1877-1957). Sardeau's first major commission was "Slave" a six foot limestone manacled African American created for the sculpture garden in Fairmount Park Philadelphia.
Dimensions: Heights 9 inches and 8 &1/4 inches
 
   
   
     
Emory Pius Seidel (American 1881 -1954) A signed and patinated dark brown /olive green sculpture on a verde antico marble base of an art deco dancer in a pose similar to the pose of the Hindu dancer by Belgian sculptor Claire Colinet. Seidel was a sculptor and painter from Chicago.As early as 1913 he was exhibiting both paintings and sculpture. He won the 1925, John C. Shaffer Prize from the Art Institute of Chicago. Many of his later sculptures are bas relief decorative works. The present sculpture is one of his more artistic and rare works and dates to the early 1920's
Dimensions: Total height 14 1/4 inches
 
   
 
   
 

 
Simon Moselsio (Russian /American, 1890-1963) An Art Deco female nude with light golden-olive green/brown patination on the body and with darker patination of the hair. Signed and dated 1921 on a columnar, striated , black , grey and yellow marble base. Superb modelin , very highly detailed first class early cast from either Germany or Austria. Simon Molesio was born in Russia and studied at the Kunstgewerbe Schule, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Berlin. He exhibited at the Paris International Exposition of 1921 and also at the New York Worlds Fair of 1939. Moselsio was a regular exhibitor at the Whitney Museum in 1934, 35, 39 and from then on yearly - 1940 to 1950. He also had a one-man exhibitiom at the Brooklyn Museum as well as at many other galleries, including: The Wehe Gallery, Chicago Art Institute, Fleming Museum of Art, The Salons of America 1925 and 1926, Library of Congress, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Worcester Museum of Art and many others.
Dimensions: Total Height 14 inches. ( Height base alone 3.5 inches)
   
Rochette and Parzini.  Italian stone masons and modelers from New York in 1920's &1930's. The modernist life size bronze bust is possibly from 1939 Worlds Fair. Signed and numbered 4,with foundry marks for Roman Bronze Works New York
Dimensions: Length 15 Inches by 14 &1/2 inches in height