François-Rupert Carabin (17 March 1862, in

Saverne Saverne (french: Saverne, ; Alsatian: ; german: Zabern ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km (2 ...

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

– 28 November 1932, in Strasbourg) was a French cabinetmaker, photographer and sculptor. His work was representative of the Art Nouveau 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 int ...

s and practiced photography. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

concluded, he was named the director of the École supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg and was regularly invited to the

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austr ...

. He worked in the artistic milieu of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

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 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, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

from 1884 to 1891. 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. 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, Paris. * ''

Loïe Fuller Loie Fuller (born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American actress and dancer who was a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Career Bor ...

'', 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 university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2006, , p. 175 * John Hannavy, ''Encyclopedia of nineteenth-century photography, Volume 1'', CRC Press, 2008, , p. 270 * Ank Trumpie, Garth Clark, Keramiekmuseum het Princessehof, ''Deliciously decadent: tableware of the 20th and 21st centuries'', 010 Publishers, 2004,

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