Panthers resting - Maximilien FIOT (1886-1953)

Sculpture in white marble

France
circa 1930
height 40 cm
length 66 cm

Biography :
Louis-Maximilien Fiot, known as Maximilien Fiot (1886-1953) was a French sculptor. Student of the sculptor Prosper Lecourtier, he exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1910 to 1914. Member of the Salon of French Artists, Fiot obtained a third medal in 1911, then a second medal in 1913. As an animal artist, he also participated during the period between the two World Wars, like many of his confreres, in the production of war memorials. In 1930, he realized for the city of La Ferté-Alais, where his mother lived, "The Lion watching over the dead children for the Fatherland".

Animals were his main subjects: birds, dogs, cats and other wild animals such as wolves, deers, lions or panthers. Fiot's style was very modern, dynamic and uncluttered, distinguishing it from other sculptors of the time, to more static works typical of the Art Deco style. Fiot's sculptures are noticeable by the observation of movement, giving his subjects a striking vitality and verisimilitude.