Boleslas BIEGAS (Koziczyn 1877- Paris 1954) Lot n° 32

The wave Produced circa 1905/1907 Double-sided bronze sculpture with black shaded patina 39 x 56 x 18 cm Signed on the base "B. B. Biegas Cast around 1905/1907 A certificate of authenticity from the Polish Historical and Literary Society will be given to the purchaser. Exhibition : Galerie des Artistes Modernes, Paris, March 23 - April 4, 1908, Biegas, N°38, La Vague, (bronze) Boleslas Biegas was born in Koziczyn in 1877. In 1895, he studied sacred art sculpture in Warsaw with Antoni Panasiuk. Supported by Alexandre Swietochowski, Biegas was able to study at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts from 1897. There, he studied sculpture with Alfred Daun and later with Konstanty Laszczka. Biegas gradually turned away from classical mythological sculpture to cultivate a satanic and esoteric register. In 1901, he joined the Viennese Secession, then obtained a scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He soon set up his studio on rue de Bagneux in Montparnasse. Boleslas Biegas was a Symbolist sculptor and painter. Influenced by Vigeland's technique, Biegas produced high-reliefs until 1907. His sculptures became increasingly philosophical, depicting monstrous or chimerical figures. The model for "La Vague" was conceived around 1905/1907, and the cast dates from the same years. A woman plunges into the water, entirely draped in the veil of the wave. Beneath her, an engulfed, grimacing head emerges. On the other side, a victorious male figure stands at the heart of the rolling waves. In the early 1900s, the artist created mysterious works with a strong allegorical and philosophical dimension on themes such as the Universe, the Earth and the various elements of nature. E.V