Auguste Gady c. 1832 - 1950

Honoré Daumier sculpted this bronze portrait bust of Auguste Gady, though the exact date of its creation remains unknown. Daumier lived through the Revolutions of 1830 and 1848, events that stoked his passion for social justice, and which often surfaced in his caricatures of the French bourgeoisie. Daumier originally trained as a printmaker, which influenced his approach to sculpture. Notice the rough, almost unfinished texture of the bronze. He builds form through broad, gestural marks, capturing the character of Gady with an almost brutal honesty. It’s easy to imagine Daumier, the radical republican, in the studio shaping the clay with his hands, imbuing the work with his political beliefs. The final bronze retains that immediacy; a testament to Daumier’s skill in capturing the spirit of a man, but also the mood of a nation grappling with its identity. This piece is a window into a society on the brink.