POMPON, François (1855-1933)

POMPON, François (1855-1933)

Autograph letter signed « F Pompon » to his friend Fabre
Paris, 19 Dec. [19]32, 1 p. in-4°
Usual fold marks
With autographe envelope (not related to the letter)

Very rare letter from the sculptor, six months before his death

« Ami Fabre,
Monsieur de Monzie a été sublime pour moi, et ma joie est à son comble.
Je t’embrasse ainsi que Madame Debraux pour avoir tant fait.
Venez me voir.
F. Pompon
Je ne peux croire que le 14 janvier j’aurai la rosette. »

Upon his death on May 6, 1933, the entire sculptural work of Pompon was bequeathed to the French state, as he had wished in his will of June 5, 1929. In response to this bequest, Anatole de Monzie, then Minister of National Education, suggested that the collection be entrusted to the Museum of Natural History, as a tribute to the Jardin des Plantes and its Menagerie, a place that served as a daily source of inspiration for the artist.

“Trained by Aimé Millet and Pierre Louis Rouillard, Pompon joined Auguste Rodin’s studio in 1890. He worked as a practitioner in the marble depot on Rue de l’Université. Quickly earning the master’s trust, Rodin appointed him to manage the studio three years later. It was in this same studio that he met Camille Claudel. From 1905 onwards, Pompon decisively chose to simplify the form of his sculptures, creating a distinctive style that would have a profound influence on numerous major artists of the 20th century. Pompon received late recognition when he presented his Ours blanc (White Bear) at the 1922 Salon d’Automne.