GODCHAUX Roger (1878-1958)

Roger GODCHAUX (1878-1958), the son of an antique dealer passionate about big cats and elephants Failing to enter the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme accepts him as a student in his studio, being impressed by his seriousness for his young age.

The animal sculptor exhibited at the Salon of French Artists. He received a first medal in 1922; that same year, the State ordered two bronze plaques from him for the library of the Musée de l’Armée. In 1925, he was again decorated at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts. In 1927, he won the competition of the automobile manufacturer Chenard and Walcker for the creation of an emblem.

Godchaux has always taken the greatest care with his bronzes, cast mainly by Susse using the lost wax process, and he touched up all his waxes before casting each proof, so that each bronze is unique. His bronzes have always been produced in very small limited series.

His sculptures are exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay, as well as in our galleries in Saint-Ouen.