Paul-François Choppin, born in on 26 February 1856 and died in Paris (14th arrondissement) on 13 June 1937, was a French sculptor.

Biography

He lost his hearing at the age of two and remained deaf and mute throughout his life. He studied at the National Institution for deaf-mutes in Paris, at the National School of Decorative Arts and then at the National School of Fine Arts. In 1904, he married Marie Célina Reuché, a miniaturist painter. A pupil of

François Jouffroy François Jouffroy (1 February 1806 – 25 June 1882) was a French sculptor. Biography Jouffroy was born in Dijon, France, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 18 ...

and

Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...

, he started at the

Salon des Artistes Français 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 ...

in 1877, of which he became a member in 1886. He presented his Volunteer project three times at the Salon, first in 1888 under the title A winner of the Bastille, then at the Universal Exhibition of 1889: A Volunteer of 92, and finally in 1898: A Enrolled in 1792. Choppin exhibited at the Salon until 1923. In 1886 he obtained an honorable mention, then a silver medal in 1888 and he received a bronze medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The Exposition Universelle of 1889 () was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 5 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fourth of eight expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors. The ...

. Choppin worked as an art teacher in Paris, where the deaf artist

Douglas Tilden Douglas Tilden (May 1, 1860 to August 5, 1935) was an American sculptor. He was deaf from a bout of scarlet fever at the age of four and attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California (now in Fremont, California). He ...

was his pupil in the late 1880s.

Works

* 1920, Bust of Gustave Baguer,

Asnières-sur-Seine Asnières-sur-Seine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometr ...

, Institut Baguer. * Le Génie des arts, 1886, plaster statue bought by the State and deposited in 1895,

Musée Sainte-Croix The Musée Sainte-Croix is the largest museum in Poitiers, France. Planned by the architect poitevin Jean Monge and built in 1974, it stands at the site of the former Abbaye Sainte-Croix, which was moved to Saint-Benoît, Vienne. It is a constr ...

in Poitiers, work destroyed. * Monument to

Paul Broca Pierre Paul Broca (, also , , ; 28 June 1824 – 9 July 1880) was a French physician, anatomist and anthropologist. He is best known for his research on Broca's area, a region of the frontal lobe that is named after him. Broca's area is involve ...

, 1887. Erected in Paris, Place Henri-Mondor, it was sent to be melted down during the Occupation. * Monument to Paul Broca, erected in the birthplace of the doctor in

Sainte-Foy-la-Grande Sainte-Foy-la-Grande (; oc, Senta Fe la Granda) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is on the south bank of the Dordogne (river), Dordogne. History Th ...

, it was also sent to the cast under the Vichy regime under the Occupation. * The Volunteer of 1792, 1899, bronze statue erected in Remiremont on the initiative of

Jules Méline Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898. Biography Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 187 ...

then president of the council. Another copy, erected in Paris, square Parmentier, was sent for melting in 1942. * The museums of fine arts of Reims and the French Revolution each keep a 54 cm bronze statue of this subject. * The Death of Britannicus, Dieppe,

Château de Dieppe The Château de Dieppe is a castle in the French town of Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Dieppe in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, département. The castle was founded in 1188 by King Henry II of England, and was destroyed in 1195 by King Phil ...

Bibliography

* Auguste Boyer, ''Paul Choppin, artiste sculpteur sourd-muet'', Paris, Atelier typographique de l'institution nationale des sourds-muets, 1909.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul-François Choppin 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors Deaf artists 19th-century French male artists