Claire Jeanne Roberte Colinet (1880–1950) was a French

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of Belgian birth who worked during the early-to-mid 20th century. The subject matter of her best known work was primarily

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

female dancers. The majority of her career output in sculpture can be classified as being of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style. Colinet was a frequent exhibitor at the

Salon des Artistes Francais The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

and Salon des Independents art exhibitions in Paris. Her sculptures, most of which depicted beautifully figured, energized, and dramatic female forms, were exhibited posthumously at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

for nearly 30 years.

Early life

Colinet was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, in 1880. Little is known about her life other than the artwork she produced during a successful career that spanned more than 40 years. As a woman, she was in the minority in her chosen field of sculpture during the era in which she worked and lived.

Career

At an undetermined date – probably around 1910 – Colinet emigrated to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where she studied sculpture under the watchful eye of Jef Lambeaux and exhibited for the first time at the

in 1913 and became a permanent member of the organization in 1929. From 1937 to 1940, she exhibited at the Salon des Independents in Paris and joined the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors. Colinet's work is primarily done in the

style, and her models included odalisques, exotic dancers, jugglers and artists of

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

. A number of her female dancer pieces were influenced by a revival of the

Orientalism In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...

movement which had been popular in Europe from about 1860 to 1880. Her preferred casting material was

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

; however, a number of her most distinguished sculptures are chryselephantine, being a combination of both bronze and ivory. Colinet's sculpture has become highly desirable to collectors. At a

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

sale on 4 May 2007, her ''Ankara Dancer'' statue from circa 1930 sold for a hammer price of $285,984. A plaster version of her ''Sleep of Narcissus'' sold at Sotheby's in 2014 for £7,500.

Death

Colinet died in Asnières-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, France, in 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colinet, Claire Art Deco sculptors 20th-century Belgian sculptors 20th-century French sculptors Artists from Brussels Artists from Paris 1880 births 1950 deaths