Romanian sculptor Demetre Chiparus — who is sometimes referred to as Dumitru Chiparus or Dimitri Chiparus — was a renowned Art Deco-era artist most often associated with realism. He initially created sculptures that featured small children. As his work began to mature, he continued to create figurative sculptures but shifted his focus, and his output was marked by an appreciation for the lithe female form — a popular subject during the 1920s. Chiparus was later known for his animal sculptures, too.
Chiparus lived comfortably as an artist owing in part to his family fortune. At the age of 23, he moved to Italy and began his formal art and sculpting studies under Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. Following his time in Italy, he moved to Paris where he attended L'École des Beaux-Arts. He studied under sculptors Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. He was inspired by the Russian Ballet, French theater and early motion pictures.
Though he wouldn’t sell many of his pieces during his lifetime, Chiparus was well known for his bright and colorful busts and sculptures featuring dancing ladies. He was equally inspired by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb — a common influence for designers and artists of the Art Deco era — which is obvious in his references to Egyptian themes in his decorative objects and other realist works.
Chiparus worked with a combination of ivory and bronze to create chryselephantine sculptures, a method and type of sculpture that was particularly popular during the Archaic period. The bases of his pieces were typically made of marble or onyx and he adorned his life-like subjects with vibrant enamel that lent a touch of whimsicality to his art.
Chiparus exhibited his works at the Salon of 1914 and lived in Paris until his death. A range of his sculptures is held in the permanent collection of the Museo Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Spain.
Find original Demetre Chiparus decorative objects, sculptures and other works on 1stDibs.
Gilded Bronze Cittern-Playing Clown on Onyx Base, Italy
Located in Kastrup, DK
Small sculpture of a cittern-playing clown in gilded bronze. Mounted on an onyx base. Italy, circa 1900.
Onyx, Bronze
Italian Parcel-Gilt Bronze Figure of a Lute Player, 19th Century
Located in New York, NY
Italian parcel-gilt bronze figure of a lute player. Signed A. Pandiani and stamped A. Pandiani Milano.
Bronze
Lladro Retired Serious Clown with Guitar by Salvador Furio
By Lladro
Located in Dallas, TX
Stunning and rare Lladro retired serious clown with guitar by Salvador Furio. This is titled "Serious Clown with Guitar' and was sculpted by Salvador F...
Porcelain
Vintage porcelain figurine "Pierrot with Guitar" by VALENCIA
Located in Bastogne, BE
Vintage porcelain figurine "Pierrot with Guitar" by Spanish company Porcelain Valencia (Villamarchante, Valencia), 1980s. This charming figurine dep...
Porcelain
Bronze Abstract Guitarist Sculpture after Picasso Numbered
By (after) Pablo Picasso
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Very nice heavy solid bronze sculpture of a man playing guitar on square granite base. Measures: 19" tall.
Granite, Bronze
$3,056
H 9.85 in W 3.35 in D 3.35 in
Bronze Sculpture Depicting Pierrot Singing In The Moonlight, Early 20th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Bronze sculpture depicting Pierrot singing in the moonlight, early 20th century. Bronze sculpture with a patina finish depicting Pierrot singing in the moonlight, with a marble base...
Marble, Bronze
$3,400
H 26.62 in W 9.26 in D 7.88 in
Pierrot Under the Moon Sculpture, Polychrome Plaster, France, ca. 1900
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Pierrot Under the Moon Sculpture, France, circa 1900 A rare and poetic French Art Nouveau sculpture depicting Pierrot seated beneath a crescent moon, playing his mandolin in a dream...
Mirror, Plaster
French Bronze Figure "Man with Guitar" by Rousseau
By Victor Rousseau
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
French Bronze Figure "Man with Guitar" by Rousseau Beautiful French patinated bronze figure of an elderly man with a hat walking and carrying his guitar under his arm, signed Roussea...
Bronze
$7,135
H 28.35 in W 13.39 in D 16.93 in
19th Century Bronze Statue of a Minstrel, Signed Paul Fournier
By Paul Fournier
Located in Brighton, Sussex
Paul Fournier (French, 1859-1926): A large bronze figure of a minstrel playing a lute the figure in Renaissance dress, looking to dexter and seated o...
Bronze
Unique Bronze Guitar Player by Marchello Mascherini
By M. Mascherini
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This is a unique bronze piece, not editioned, by Marchello Mascherini of a seated figure on a stool playing a guitar. One may interpret the figure as singing as his mouth is open. The figure and the guitar blend and become one in areas, creating ambiguity of definition in the piece. The patina is a deep chocolate brown. The base of the sculpture is marble and measures 3.25" X 3.25". The original tag is still present on the underside of the base, but has faded and is not completely legible. It is signed "M. Mascherini" on one of the legs of the stool. This is definitely a piece worthy of joining any art collection. Marchello Mascherini was born in Udine, Italy, in 1906. He moved to Isernia, the central-southern region of Molise, where he first began learning about sculpture in the local workshops of the area. He finished his education at the Regia Scuola d’arte and moved on to the Istituto Industriale “Alessandro Volta” in the spring of 1921 focussing on ornamental sculpture. His first one-man show took place at Circolo Alessandro Manzoni...
Marble, Bronze
