Contacted by late sculptor's Grandson

[Landseer]

This is pretty exciting, I received some emails today along with photos- from the grandson of well known sculptor Rene Chambellain. Bob is putting together materials for a book about him. This should be an interesting book as Rene was working in the Art Deco era- 1930's. I was sent several very interesting studio photos of Rene at work in his studio modelling.

The why *I* was emailed- I own a cast iron architectural piece that he designed in 1920.

Bob posted this on my forum, maybe someone here may have leads too;

"Hi there everyone, I am the grandson of Rene Paul Chambellan who is considered one of the premier Art Deco architectural sculptors and designers of that period. I am presently writing a book and cataloging his works (which is extensive). If anyone has any information regarding works to be found in New York City - espcially photographs - it would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know. I have a large collection of photos of his molds and sketches but many are unmarked as to project whcih obviously makes this task monumental. Luckily, through Randall's photo of the West Side Highway I was able to identify a piece which had me puzzled for a very long time - not the NY Seal but the decorative piece on the trestle of the highway itself.

Anyway, I appreciate any help or historical information that anyone here may have to assist me with this work. I expect to be submitting my book proposal early next year so time is of the essence! Thank you all!"

[grommet]

(At the risk of sounding like a teenager...)
How cool is that!!!

[Landseer]

Photo from Wikipedia.com's page on the sculptor.

I thought some here will appreciate seeing a master sculptor at work in his
NYC studio circa 1930's.

Private collection of Rene Chambellan photographs from grandson of the artist. Bob Perrone from a digitized image produced by Bert Denaci Copyright 2005 the family of Rene Paul Chambellan.

Some really cool construction photos, 1930 of the Buffalo City Hall showing the stone carving and sculptors at work, including Mr Chambellan;

http://ah.phpwebhosting.com/a/niagsq/65/constr/

[Blake]

Randall
They came to the guy.
That IS really cool!
Keep us informed!
Blake

[Landseer]

Bob related this story about his sculptor Grandfather, I like these personal stories;


He would wear a tie under his "work clothes" if there were clents coming. I am told that he had two pairs of shoes, both pretty beat up but he was comfortable. When he worked he was like a whirling dervish. The historian from Medallic Art told me that fellow employees who knew Rene marvelled at how fast he worked. My aunt tells me that when she worked with him in his studio he as a non-stop dynamo.
One humorous family story is that, not only did the plaster cause the mess that you mention which was certainly something that he lived with each day; but when he would be working with clay - literally arm deep in the stuff - he would turn on the gas stove and burn off the hair on his arms so the clay would not get all caught up in the hair. The family would "revolt" and complain because of the smell of the buring hair in the house!

[grommet]

I love it! I can just imagine it. And him probably with that "what's the problem" look on his face if they mentioned it. What a character... I would have loved to witness some of the energy.

[bobp]

Reply to Grommet: Although I never knew him (he died when I was only 18 months old - he was only 62), you are correct in your thinking. He cherished his "down time" with his family and his sketchbook. He was very generous with his children except with his sketchbook and drawing pencils. Those were strictly off limits and my mother describes her feelings of trepidation and fear when her curiosity got the better of her once and she opened and peeked through his pencil/charcoals box one day. After he got home she thought for sure he would have noticed and her guilt got the better of her and she told him what she did. He didn't get angry, just warned her not to do it again.
The digital photos I have from his sketchbook are amazing and show how his mind was always working in three dimensions. The depth in these drawings fooled me a few times into thinking I was looking at a model. I've uploaded a very compressed image of a sketch he did for the now demolished Airlines Terminal in New York City. (I posted this one because I know that Landser will get a kick out of this).
Regarding the arm hair, you are pretty much correct in your assumptions. I am told he gave all the family that "what?" look, but I am told that it was for two reasons. One being he didn't care what they thought as it had to do with his work; but my Mom says that she believes he would also do it just to get a rise out of everyone (especially my Grandmother) even if he wasn't planning on working in clay.
A short story illustrating how he was a bit of a prankster relates to the bosses he sculpted for the Firestone Library at Princeton. One of the sculptures was to depict a flautist. In creating his models for the presentation, he knew that the architect was a flute player so he modeled the face after him. The board recognized his antics, but they were so taken with the humor of it that they let it stand. If you ever are at Princeton go the Firestone Library and look on the outside of the building. The corner bosses are his and seek out the flute player!

[Landseer]

Great to have you here Bob!

We have a few sculptors here who do traditional sculptures, Blake is one from France does exquisite work and you'll have to meet up with him here when he pops in! But most here create contemporary and abstract works and aren't familiar with architectural sculptures such as the ones I salvaged and reproduce, or the Art Deco period either I guess.
But it's a good sculpture related site with some pretty cool people.

I was hoping when I opened this thread that someone here might have some leads for you but that doesn't seem likely, still, I thought it would be of interest to share Rene with folks here as it's not often we get to read about or see photos of old time sculptors in their studio at work!

I posted the scan of the page from Hoffman's book, below, unfortunately due to the size limit here 64k it's hard to see, but Rene Chambellan is shown using a pointing tool way in the background in a white shirt with suspenders enlarging sculptures for Malvina Hoffman



Hope you'll add a few more photos in here too.

[Landseer]

Then you'll want this URL which shows the bosses and descriptive text;

Princeton University Library
1948 Firestone details

bosses4.jpg

http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/libraryhistory/Pictures/1948_Firestone_details/pages/bosses4.html


Model 22-H
http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/libraryhistory/Pictures/1948_Firestone_details/pages/Kilham22h.html


bosses2.jpg
http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/libraryhistory/Pictures/1948_Firestone_details/pages/bosses2.html

Model;
http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/libraryhistory/Pictures/1948_Firestone_details/pages/Brant22b.html

[Landseer]

I found scans of an architectural terra cotta company book, here is an interesting in studio shot of some major sized terra cotta followed by an interesting stone carving from 1940

[bobp]

Landseer:
Holy smokes! Thank you so much for that link! I have only been able to find an essay written by an Alumni of the University regarding the bosses (he also did other work inside the library). She was helpful in confirming the story about the flautist, but I only had a crude drawing to go by. The photos are great. I've attached the portion of her document that talks about the bosses briefly. I include it here as it tells of how the carving was conducted. You folks are probably aware of the method, but maybe there are more than one way to do this kind of work?
Thanks again!

[grommet]

... most here create contemporary and abstract works and aren't familiar with architectural sculptures such as the ones I salvaged and reproduce, or the Art Deco period either I guess.
But it's a good sculpture related site with some pretty cool people.

I was hoping when I opened this thread that someone here might have some leads for you but that doesn't seem likely, still, I thought it would be of interest to share Rene with folks here as it's not often we get to read about or see photos of old time sculptors in their studio at work!

The thing of it is, as artists, we have that inherant interest in all things visual and potentially messy! Also, now that we've been introduced to his work we can keep our eyes open.

[bobp]

I just wanted to say thanks to those who will be on the lookout for Rene Chambellan's work. I will periodically post items of interest here as well as new found questions that, from the kind people in this forum, I may be able to glean some information.
I'll keep you posted on the progress of the book and if any have particular desires for anything pertaining to Rene Chambellan, please fell free to ask!
Thanks again my friends.

[Landseer]

Great Bob!
Old studio or model pics I'm sure would be a hit.

I do have a good question for you I forgot to ask, and that is how DID Rene pronounce his last name "Chambellan"?
I'm thinking the "Ch" is soft like "Sh"

[bobp]

You are correct sir, pronounced with the "sh" soft sound. "Sham -bell - an"
I'll post more model/studio pics; any requests?
Thanks Randall, you have certianly been a special "find" during my research.

[Landseer]

Here's a photo of a page from Malvina Hoffman's book showing one of Rene Chambellan's clay models in development stage and then finished stage. I thought some might like to compare both the similarities between some of the details between both, as well as some changes Rene decided to make.
The basic figure is the same, and same pose, but the left hand was holding a non-descript shape that somewhat resembles a bird? but then became a wheel with wings.
Some of the background designs were also modified.

It is interesting to see this development.

While I'm on Art Deco, here's a sculpture from a the lobby of a building in NYC from that era, very interesting form

[bobp]

I just received my copy of Malvina Hoffman's book; "Sculpture from the Inside Out" yesterday. Although out of print, I was able to find a used copy in excellent condition. If anyone is interested in the miriad of processes involved in creating sculpture in it's various forms and applications this is a definite must read.
The lobby panel that Landseer has posted is another work by Rene Chambellan, it is from the Chanin Building, widely considered one of Chambellan's finest works.
The lobby panels (there are eight) reflect man's intellectual and physical abilities to acheive success. What is mos tinteresting about the lobby panels is Chambellan also designed abstract panels directly below each figure. These abstract panels mirror the panel above it and it is the first use of abstract design in Art Deco and also considered to be the first use of abstract design in architectural sculture.
If you are ever in New York City, the Chanin Building is a must see.

[Landseer]

Glad you liked the book, I just got the copy of "Jumping CHolla" which I read years ago and made xerox copies of some pages from, it's about the author's sculpture and bronze casting process, very handy to look over.

[ReBanks]

I am currently working on a National Historic Register nomination of Shrine of the Little Flower Church which is in Royal Oak, Michigan. Rene Paul Chambellan was a significant contributor to this Art Deco church, c. 1930, and these contributions are a major factor in the architectural significance of the church.

While I have found a great deal of information on Chambellan's other works, I would like to learn more of his biographical information. This church was essentially built by the controversial Fr. Charles Coughlin (a.k.a. "the Radio Priest") and almost no records exist that detail its earliest days of design. I hope someone could enlighten as to any information regarding his professional development, specifically his collaboration with architects or any other artisans of the period.

Any help you anyone here could offer would be greatly appreciated. I have already submitted a draft to the Michigan Preservation Office (the committee who recommends properties for inclusion on the National Register), and they have indicated the property, particularly its connection with Chambellan, shows great promise for inclusion. I only need to fill out some more of this information. Thank you so much.

[bobp]

I can certainly help you in your needs for historical/biographical information. I also have available photogrpahs of the original models produced for many of the works that are part of the Shrine if they would be of interest.
Please send me a message to my email address: bob.perrone1@verixon.net and then we can communicate easier.
This is very exciting news, I look forward to hearing from you.

Bob Perrone