François-Rupert Carabin (17 March 1862, in

Saverne Saverne (, ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a mountain pass, pass ...

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

– 28 November 1932, in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

) was a French cabinetmaker, photographer and sculptor. His work was representative of the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style.

Biography

Carabin was born of Alsacian parents on 17 March 1862. His family had been displaced by war in 1870 and after refusing to accept German nationality they moved to Paris when Carabin was just 8 years old. At the age of 16 he apprenticed with an engraver there. His first job was as an ornamental sculptor for a furniture manufacturer in a Saint-Antoine suburb. Between 1889 and 1919, Carabin sculpted many furniture pieces, mainly constructed from oak, pear, or walnut wood. One such piece, completed in 1893, was entitled ''Fauteuil''. He made

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

s and practiced photography. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

concluded, he was named the director of the École supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg and was regularly invited to the Vienna Secession. He worked in the artistic milieu of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

and made a series of photographic studies of prostitutes. His sculptures and designs featured the female form as structural rather than symbolic elements, tending towards the Decadent style. He sculpted a series of statuettes of dancers in

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 metalloid ...

which he exhibited in 1897 at the Bernheim Gallery. He also participated at the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name i ...

from 1884 to 1891. Around 1900 he exhibited his works in the Vienna Secession and as member and delegate of this artist association he organised art of the French avant-garde for the Vienna Secession.Kolja Kramer: Carabin & die Wiener Secession - Die Rolle des Delegierten im Beziehungsnetz der Wiener Secession bei der Ankunft des französischen Impressionismus und der französischen Avantgarde in Wien um 1900, Verlag BoD, Norderstedt 2024, p. 176-241. Carabin completed many monuments to the dead in the Great War, including the monument in Saverne that was destroyed in 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Carabin died on 28 November 1932 in Strasbourg, France.

Selected works

File:François-Rupert Carabin-Fauteuil-Arrière.jpg, ''Fauteuil'' (back) File:François-Rupert Carabin-Fauteuil (1).jpg, ''Fauteuil'' (front) File:François-Rupert Carabin-La Souffrance.jpg, ''La Souffrance'' File:François-Rupert Carabin-La Volupté.jpg, ''La Volupté'' File:Meuble de François-Rupert Carabin (musée du Petit Palais) (5499258635).jpg, ''Vitrine pour objets d'art''

Main works

* ''La légende Savernoise'', 1914, statuette, wood,

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

, Paris. * '' Loïe Fuller'', 1896–1897, statuette, bronze, Nouvelle Pinacothèque de Munich * ''la Critique artistique'', 1891, statuette, polychrome wax, Musée d'Orsay * ''Fontaine-Lavabo'', 1893, Musée d'Orsay * ''Fauteuil'', 1893, oak and wrought iron, Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg * ''La Volupté'' (or ''La Luxure'', or ''La Jeunesse''), 1902, Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg * ''La Souffrance'' (or ''La Vieillesse'', or ''L'Envie''), 1902, Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg * ''Bibliothèque'', 1890, wrought iron, Musée d'Orsay à Paris * ''Buffet Sel et poivre'', 1906–1908 * ''Encrier'', 1900–1901, Richmond, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

References

* Gordon Campbell, ''The Grove encyclopedia of decorative arts, Volume 1'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2006, , p. 175 * John Hannavy, ''Encyclopedia of nineteenth-century photography, Volume 1'',

CRC Press The CRC Press, LLC is an American publishing group that specializes in producing technical books. Many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics. Their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information technol ...

, 2008, , p. 270 * Ank Trumpie, Garth Clark, Keramiekmuseum het Princessehof, ''Deliciously decadent: tableware of the 20th and 21st centuries'', 010 Publishers, 2004, * Kolja Kramer: Carabin & die Wiener Secession - Die Rolle des Delegierten im Beziehungsnetz der Wiener Secession bei der Ankunft des französischen Impressionismus und der französischen Avantgarde in Wien um 1900, Verlag BoD, Norderstedt 2024, 402 pages;

Inline Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carabin, Francois-Rupert 1862 births 1932 deaths Art Nouveau designers Art Nouveau sculptors Art Nouveau medallists French medallists French furniture designers People from Saverne French photographers 20th-century French sculptors 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors French cabinetmakers 19th-century French male artists