René LETOURNEUR (1898-1990) - Lot 60

René LETOURNEUR (1898-1990) Back nude 1950 Green patina bronze relief Essai 1/1 de bronze projeté, circa 1958 Signed (by engraving on the back) : LETOURNEUR 41.5 x 35 x 6 cm In the late 1940s and early 1950s, René Letourneur asserted his taste for opulent female bodies that fill the frame with power and calm, as shown in his Nu de dos. At the same time, he was experimenting with the projected bronze technique: he considered using it to create the monumental relief of the Fondation de Lorient that he had just been commissioned to create for the façade of his town hall. But after two trials, with Nu de dos and with one of the reliefs for La Nuit, he realized that projected bronze could not be used for large surfaces: he gave up using it for his monumental relief of Lorient, which was finally cast in bronze. Nu de dos is one of the very few examples of René Letourneur's technical research in sprayed bronze.