Large bronze statue “Le Refus”, by Philippe Besnard
France, circa 1940
Biography
Philippe Besnard (1885-1971) is a French sculptor and art critic.
Born on November 18, 1885 in Paris, 17th, Philippe Besnard is the son of the painter Albert Besnard. Philippe Besnard had an unhappy childhood, his parents having insisted on placing him in agricultural schools. At his insistence, he began to receive his first sculpture lessons from his mother Charlotte, née Dubray. Later, in Rome, he took lessons with the sculptor Henri Bouchard, then, like his mother, he received advice from Auguste Rodin.
His brother, Jean Besnard, born in 1889, turned to pottery and became a renowned ceramist.
In 1921, Philippe Besnard married the sculptor Germaine Desgranges (1892-1974), daughter of the Franche-Comté painter Felix Desgranges and student of Antoine Bourdelle.
Philippe Besnard’s work is very diverse: public monuments (commemorative monuments, memorials to the dead, fountains, monument projects), bas-reliefs, busts and masks, often remaining in private collections, full-length figures, allegorical or mythological characters , groups, religious sculptures, medals and medallions, various subjects, ceramics, drawings. His creations are the subject of exhibitions in Paris, Lyon, Brussels…
He was named knight of the Legion of Honor.
He died on November 2, 1971 in Paris, 15th, and was buried in the Montparnasse cemetery.