Simone BOUTAREL (1892–1987) – Guinea Fowl

Rare bronze edition with brown patina
Sand casting
Bearing the mark of the “CFA Paris” Artists’ Foundry on the plinth at the back
Signed “S. Boutarel”
Circa 1920–1930

Dimensions:
Height: 25 cm
Length: 17.5 cm
Depth: 12.7 cm

“Treated with great restraint and remarkable sensitivity. The artist captures with precision the characteristic stance of this bird: a slightly inclined head, a full and stylized body, and slender legs that convey a sense of liveliness.
Its dark patina, nuanced with subtle highlights, enhances the volumes and the clean, refined lines of the sculpture.
Simone Boutarel is a recognized artist for her talent and her tender yet modern ?????? on the animal world. She succeeded in securing a place within the select circle of early 20th-century sculptors.”

Biography:

Simone BOUTAREL (1892–1987)

Born in Paris on March 5, 1892, Simone Boutarel passed away in Nyons on August 21, 1987.
A French sculptor and medallist, she trained under Paul Landowski and Édouard Fraisse, from whom she adopted technical rigor while developing a more decorative and refined visual language.

A member of the Société des Artistes Français, she began exhibiting in the mid-1920s at the Salon des Artistes Français, where she mainly presented small animal sculptures in stone or bronze—guinea fowl, pigeons, cats—as well as busts. She was awarded a bronze medal in 1929, followed by a silver medal in 1931, and was again honored at the 1937 Exposition Universelle.

At the same time, Simone Boutarel also exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and, more occasionally, at the Salon d’Automne. Her work belongs to a figurative tradition marked by a simplification of forms and a particular attention to volumes, sometimes compared to the animal aesthetic of François Pompon, while maintaining a personal sensitivity.

She took part in the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris as part of the official art competitions, presenting sports-themed drawings in the painting category. These competitions, then considered on equal footing with the sporting events, included five disciplines: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.

Among her rare monumental works is the set of bronze ornaments for the doors of the Falaise market (Normandy).
Her works are now held in several public collections: the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the British Museum own medals by the artist, while the Fonds d’Art Contemporain of the City of Paris preserves a stone Pigeon.