GALERIE MICHEL GIRAUD

ince March 2001, Galerie Michel Giraud has been based on the Left Bank, in the heart of one of Paris’s most renowned art districts. It is one of the most prestigious galleries showcasing Art Deco. Michel Giraud aims to make his gallery a favourite spot for collectors: he has recreated the atmosphere of a 1930s art lover’s home, sharing his discoveries and passions on a daily basis or during an exhibition.

Although furniture has pride of place, with a selection of works by Ruhlmann, Printz and Sornay, no artistic discipline has been overlooked: in addition to the arts of fire, with ceramics and glassware, the gallery also exhibits sculpture and modern painting. We wanted to enrich our approach with an ever deeper knowledge of the period we are presenting, by devoting our space and resources to artists who have been unfairly overlooked. 

With this in mind, Michel Giraud has chosen to work as an independent publisher, producing books that trace the work of artists close to his heart, through rich texts and unique iconographic documentation. In addition to major retrospectives, Michel Giraud has co-written and edited two books on the celebrated Art Deco sculptor Alfred Janniot, and the first monograph on the eminent ceramist Emile Decœur.

This in-depth work has enabled us to win the esteem and trust of the most demanding collectors, as well as the interest of museums.

The gallery’s stock of twentieth-century art and our knowledge of the period are now regularly sought after by institutions.

Granulite sculpture, made using the direct carving technique, representing a man’s head, cubist style.

The features of the face are communicated with simple lines that come together in a geometric composition.

This face seems closed; it conveys a sensation of serenity and power, a feeling that the artist strengthened by using cubist principles, a movement that inspired him at that time.

The sculpture is presented on a Belgian black marble base (Dinant) that recalls those used by the artist in 1923.

Exhibitions

• Salon Nikwa, Tokyo, 1926.
• Japan, 1959, n° 25.
• Saint-Gall, 1961, n° 4.
• Jianou, 1979, n° 188

Remarks:

From 1921 to 1924, Zadkine’s sculpture style underwent significant changes: the different planes of his pieces became more clearly distinct planes, the edges were sharpened, lines were made more angular and the feel of the pieces became more dynamic. He arrived at a point where he seemed more attentive to the shape, which he sought to dominate.