Agostini Felix

Biography

Félix Agostini (1910-1980) was a French-born sculptor who was active in the mid-20th century. He was known for the abstract, stylized, and surrealist style of his lamps and sculptures, which often depicted historical and mythological subjects.? ?Born in Paris in 1910, at the age of 24 he was hired as an illustrator by the printer Draeger, a position he thrived in. Miscellaneous collaborations with Peugot, Ford, Ducretet, Thomson and Chanel featured in his early career. He later founded his own atelier where his first wrought iron, ceramic and bronze models were imagined and created. A design paying homage to Alberto and Diego Giacometti consolidated his position as a leading mid-century sculptor.

From 1955 he started to sculpt with gypsum, the prototype of his most renowned creations (thereafter cast in bronze). Such sculptures and lamps were notable for merging classical motifs with cutting-edge mid-century design. Agostini's sculptures were characterized by their finely detailed surfaces and their sense of movement and expression. His work often depicted classical subjects, such as athletes, gods and goddesses, and heroes of myth and legend.?