Indenbaum Léon
Venus is a recurring subject in Indenbaum’s oeuvre. In praise of the feminine beauty and innovative in his approaches, he produced many such sculptures of different mediums, such as the Rustic Venus, 1925.
Leon Indenbaum (December 10, 1890, Chaus – September 29, 1981, Opio) – artist and sculptor.
Leon Indenbaum studied at the School of Fine Arts in Odesa, continuing his studies at the Antokolsky Art School in Vilnius. He arrived in Paris in 1911, where he settled in Meshchaninov’s studio in “La Ruche”. Leon lived on the second floor, near Chagall’s studio, and then moved to Volovik. From 1911 to 1919, Indenbaum studied sculpture under Antoine Bourdel at the Académie de la Grand Schommer. In 1912, three of his sculptures were exhibited in the Independent Salon.
Classes led by the great French sculptor, a representative of neoclassicism in European art of the late XIX – first half of the XX century, Emile Antoine Bourdel, had a great influence on the formation of the individual style of the young artist. The influence of Bourdel’s art is felt in a number of Indenbaum’s works, for example, in the relief “Profile of a Young Man” (1914), “Woman’s Torso” (1919), “Archaic Head” (1920), “Girl’s Head” (1923) and others.
Indenbaum’s first patron was fashion designer and collector Jacques Dusse. He also created sculptures for decorator Coard and couturier Paul Poirier. He also worked for the brothers George and Marcel Bernard, bankers and collectors. In 1925 he exhibited two sculptures in the Salon of Independents.
During World War II, Indenbaum remained in Paris, hiding his Jewish origins. Most of his works have disappeared or had been destroyed.
After the war, the artist took part in an exhibition organized by the France-USSR Committee of the XIV District of Paris (Exhibition of Contemporary Russian Painters and Sculptors, Paris, 16 Ernest Cresson Street, May-June 1945).
The artist died at his daughter’s house in Opio, in the Alpes-Maritimes.