Marie-Antoinette Demagnez

Marie-Antoinette Demagnez (1869–1925) was a French sculptor who worked during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Demagnez was a frequent exhibitor at the annual Salon art exhibition in Paris, and was one of only a few women whose works were juried into the show at that time in history.

She is best known for her stone statue called Source d’amour and her monumental war memorial statue at Saint-Chaptes that memorializes soldiers killed in both the First and Second World War.

Demagnez died in Paris in 1925.

Early life and education

Demagnez was born in Paris, France, in 1869. During a time in history when very few women ventured into the male-dominated world of bronze sculpture, Demagnez’s work was deemed to be of such good quality that she broke the barrier and was allowed to exhibit her work in what was at the time arguably the world’s most important art show—the annual Salon exhibition. She studied sculpture under the direction of Antonin Mercié at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Career Although perhaps best known for her World War I Memorial at Saint-Chaptes, she also produced a number of bust sculptures featuring prominent French citizens. Among these is a bronze bust of , cast by the A. A. Hébrard foundry, that she completed in 1911. Her circa 1895 stone sculpture entitled Mélancolie was described in 1902 by an art critic who said, "The work has delicate and thoroughly feminine sentiment, and is distinctly praiseworthy, albeit the execution shows marks of indecision and inexperience".

Demagnez won a bronze medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle and also participated in the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (informally known as the St. Louis World’s Fair) where she presented a stone statue called Poetry.

Demagnez completed an important World War I memorial in 1919 that is now located in Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard, Saint-Chaptes, France, in the Town Hall Square. It is made of stone, concrete and iron. It depicts a woman draped and crowned with laurel raising a palm with a soldier standing guard nearby.

Engraved on the bas-relief are the names of those soldiers from Saint-Chaptes that gave their lives for France in the First World War. The concrete portion was edited by Coignet of Paris. A plaque indicating the dead from this town in the Second World War was added sometime after that war ended in 1945. 1892 Bust Plaster Salon du 1892, Palais de l'Industrie 1893 Bust Marble Salon du 1893, Palais de l'Industrie 1895 Bust Bronze Salon du 1895, Palais de l'Industrie |1897 Statue Stone Receives an honorable mention at the Salon du 1907. Wins a bronze medal at l'Exposition décennale des beaux arts during the 1900 Exposition Universelle Paris. Salon du 1897, Galerie des machines. 1898 Salon du 1898, Galerie des machines |1901 Salon du 1901, Grand Palais 1902 Deep relief Art critic Yvanhoe Rambosson describes the piece as a charming sculpture group containing a young nymph putting her hands up to the spring and drinking from it. Salon du 1902, Grand Palais L'Aveu 1905 Sculpture group Stone Salon du 1905, Grand Palais |1906 Bust Plaster Salon du 1906, Grand Palais 1907 Garden planter Bronze Salon du 1907, Grand Palais Harmonie 1908 Salon du 1908, Grand Palais Le Souvenir 1914 Statue Plaster Figure forming part of a monument Salon du 1914, Grand Palais La Marne 1921 Sculpture group Plaster references the 1914 sculpture Le Souvenir Salon du 1921, Grand Palais Portrait de Madame la Duchesse de La R. 1922 Bust Plaster Salon du 1922, Grand Palais Pomone, reine des Vergers 1923 Decorative statue Stone Salon du 1923, Grand Palais

Signature example