Biography

Born in 1095 in Angoulême, Robert Couturier studied lithography in Paris and quickly caught the attention of Aristide Maillol in 1928. Maillol was struck by the “mal-foutu” (poorly-made) aspect of Couturier’s sculpture: “You, Couturier, in the mal-foutu style, you will create something very good.” Robert Couturier became his student and friend. By the 1930s, he won the Blumenthal Prize and participated in group exhibitions in Parisian galleries. In 1936, Georges Huisman (General Director of Fine Arts and President of the commission for the commissions of the International Exhibition of Arts…

Born in 1095 in Angoulême, Robert Couturier studied lithography in Paris and quickly caught the attention of Aristide Maillol in 1928. Maillol was struck by the “mal-foutu” (poorly-made) aspect of Couturier’s sculpture: “You, Couturier, in the mal-foutu style, you will create something very good.” Robert Couturier became his student and friend. By the 1930s, he won the Blumenthal Prize and participated in group exhibitions in Parisian galleries. In 1936, Georges Huisman (General Director of Fine Arts and President of the commission for the commissions of the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques in Modern Life) commissioned Le Jardinier for the esplanade of the Trocadéro in Paris, and he created all the sculptures and decorations for the Pavilion of Elegance designed by Émile Aillaud at the 1937 World’s Fair. These commissions brought him financial ease, allowing him to commission a studio-house in 1938 located on Villa Seurat from the architect Jean-Paul Moreux, where he would live for the rest of his life.
In 1938, he signed the manifesto Rupturewith the group Forces Nouvelles and Nouvelle Génération. This manifesto advocated for a return to traditional craftsmanship and artistic values. Their artistic approach aimed to renew the representation of man. This new aesthetic had an international impact. Captured during World War II, he managed to escape and became one of the founding members of the Salon de Mai in 1943. After the war, in 1946, he became a professor at the National School of Fine Arts.
Robert Couturier had his first solo exhibition in London in 1947 and participated in two important exhibitions in 1948-49 bringing together the old and new generations of sculptors in Berne and Amsterdam. He represented French sculpture at the Venice Biennales (1950) and São Paulo (1951) and participated in those of Sonsbeek (1952) and Antwerp (1953). The Rodin Museum organized his first retrospective in 1970, followed in 1975 by the Monnaie de Paris where a very important collection of his sculptures, drawings, and medals was presented.
On the occasion of his 100th birthday, the Dina Vierny Foundation – Maillol Museum in Paris organized a retrospective for him, and he was appointed Officer of Arts and Letters. He passed away on October 1, 2008, at the age of 103, leaving behind a body of work comprising over 500 sculptures.
The Dina Vierny Gallery, which held its first Couturier exhibition on rue Jacob in 1984, has been championing his work since then. In 2019, it presented an exhibition titled Couturier – Richier, a sculptural friendship exploring the artistic bonds between Germaine Richier and Robert Couturier.
Balancing tradition and modernity, Robert Couturier offers a new interpretation of the human figure. As the inventor of allusive sculpture, he breaks free from classical forms to bring about renewal. The female figure is primarily his source of inspiration. With a single line, he suggests the body while employing a plural language of stretched, solid, or hollow forms. He creates dynamic works with a concern for dialogue between form and space. He plays with materials, using plaster, bronze, stone, and incorporating everyday objects into his sculptures. Robert Couturier’s works are rhythmic between form and material, a gentle balance that offers the greatest freedom of interpretation.
“My great joy is to evoke as much humanity as possible by seeking the most reduced and simplest means of material.” Robert Couturier.

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