White Bear Pompon in bronze

Born in 1855 in Saulieu, French Burgundy, to a cabinetmaker father, François Pompon learned the rudiments of sculpture at the age of 15 from a marble-maker in Dijon, then in Paris, where he also attended evening classes at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs.

At the turn of the century, while seeking his own style, he became head of the workshop of the great Auguste Rodin, and then of Camille Claudel. In 1905, his choice of simplifying forms and smoothing surfaces became definitive, culminating in two of his masterpieces: the "Grand Ours Blanc" and the "Marabout", successfully presented at the Salon d'Automne in 1922.1931, Pompon formed the Groupe des Douze, bringing together disciples such as Artus, Hilbert, Paul Jouve and Auguste Trémont. When he died two years later, he had left behind a totally innovative body of work that had brought animal sculpture into the modern era.

François Pompon's most famous sculpture, l'Ours Blanc, brought him late but resounding success at the 1922 Salon. The economy of means lends an iconic presence to the work, which finds its strength in its monumental scale. Subsequently produced in different sizes and materials, it is a perfect illustration of the style that triumphed in the 20s.