Aug. 23, 2007-- His timeless beauties are frozen in time and they still seem to be moving. Long, lean, alluring and active, Dimitri Chiparus understood the art of sculpting women. He sculpted them in a way that celebrated the female form.
Chiparus specialized in exotic, graceful dancers. The jewel-like costumes his sculptures wear almost sway as they move. Other costumes hug the dancers flesh like a second skin.
The artist was active in Paris during the rise of the Art Deco movement in the 1920s. He was inspired by the elegant dancers of the Ballets Russe in the music halls. He was moved by the sexy, chorus line acts in the nightclubs.
Chiparus purchased all the magazines which illustrated the dancers. The women and their elaborate costumes, the dramatic performances--
He sculpted a world of decadence and luxury. His art was a tribute to theatrical drama and the Art Deco era.
Chiparus’ later works in the 1920's were influenced heavily by his interest in Egypt and the excavation of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen’
Much of his sculpture is a combination of bronze and ivory inlay. His ladies often rest on elegant onyx and marble bases. It’s the kind of sculpture that coaxes collectors to buy another and another.
“Les Girls” is a good example. The sculpture depicts a chorus line of five dancers in perfectly timed movement. Their costumes are so snug they look like bare skin laced in jewels. Their movements are so unified they seem connected. The only thing missing here is the music driving them.
The piece was edited in three different dancing variations, including a single figure, a three-figure group, and a five-figure group. The five-figure version sold at auction on April 17, 2007. It was the only sculpture by Chiparus to feature that many figures on a single base. “Les Girls” brought $936,000 at Sotheby’s, New York
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