Carl Milles
Covered by droit de suite
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A woman puts her hair up
Signed Carl Milles. Bronze, dark patina. Height 36 cm.
Provenance
Bukowskis International Spring Auction, May 2003, auction no 528, catalogue no 305.
More information
France was the leading nation in sculpture during the second half of the 19th century and Auguste Rodin was the most renowned. A young Milles received an opportunity to work in Paris with the great Rodin, who soon became his mentor and influenced him greatly. In a letter to Erik Hedén Milles wrote, "To me Rodin is a sculptor in the full meaning of the word and is a great one at that." In the present lot (catalog no. 153), which is both unique and rare, one can see how he strived for a more unrestricted shape and was influenced by his teacher's style. The finish of his work from this period is more impressionistic.
Designer
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor born in Lägga. He studied at the Technical School in Stockholm, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Auguste Rodin and on study trips to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Paris he came to stay for many years and made a living as an ornament carver. He studied the animals in the Jardin des Plantes (the Zoological Garden) and was strongly influenced by Auguste Rodin. Milles made a breakthrough with a monument to Sten Sture in Uppsala. He exhibited at the World's Fair in 1900 and was later given a solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. Milles was professor of modeling at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Well-known sculptures in public places signed by Carl Milles are the "Gustav Vasa" statue at the Nordic Museum, "Orfeusgruppen" outside the concert hall in Stockholm and the "Poseidonfontänen" in Gothenburg.
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