L'atelier du sculpteur

In the Studio

You'll have to step up to a narrow doorway, in the backlot of a building completely merged in the dense urban fabric of Paris. André Hogommat has taken over a well-lit space in the heart of an ancient mansion, hidden away in the quiet of a secluded backyard. In a pure quadrangle of light, he has collected a life-time's work, fifty years worth of sculptures.

DRAWING	PLASTER MODELING	BRONZE CASTING
" A sketch allows me to capture on a sheet of paper, in a few moments' time, my sense of a motion. "	" Everything has to start with the wire netting, that's what provides the main rhythm in space. Then I lay my plaster, the shape is worked through in that manner and progressively the sculpture takes up its space. "	"It's the Ancient Masters' material, it calls for the viewer's touch and reeks of sensuality. When the founder's work is top quality, it means the volumes of the plaster model will be preserved. "

Such studies are used for a basic reference pattern, where the artist will find his inspiration and refresh his own sense of rigour. There is an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 sketches in the artist's portfolio.	Once prepared and mixed with oakum, plaster of Paris is spread onto the metal structure. By the end of 2001, the models' catalogue went up to 264 items. Since then (as of April 5, 2003), 15 more pieces have been created.	To make a bronze cast from an original plaster model, a sculptor has to work with skilled craftsmen in a special foundry. All of André Hogommat's bronze works have been made with the cire perdue ('lost wax') casting method.

André Hogommat's BRONZE WORKS fall into three main periods :
Early period : 1950-1970
Fonderie SUSSE	Active since the mid-19th century, it's still running nowadays in the Parisian suburb of Arcueil (92)
Fonderie BUSATO	Founder Mario Busato-Strauss moved to Paris in 1932 and remained active at La Cité Verte until 1974.
Fonderie de COUBERTIN	The foundry is located on the De Coubertin estate, in Saint Rémy lès Chevreuse. The artistic side of its activities started in 1963.
Middle period : 1970-1985
Studio-made bronze casts	During that period, the artist himself took over a large share of the production process. He made the wax models and went to the foundry to pick up the raw unpolished bronze casts. As a teenager, he had worked as a founder's apprentice in the workshop of a naval shipyard near Nantes, where he learned the hard way how to cast ship engine parts. Filing down and working on the right patina became part of his daily routine as an artist. In addition to his plaster models, he started creating beaten copper and welded iron pieces.
Late period : 1998-…
Fonderie de la PLAINE SAINT DENIS	A former skilled worker from the Valsuani and the Taube foundries, Daniel Jolivot, took over the old Taube foundry in 1984. Specializing in the lost wax technique of casting, the top notch quality of its products has placed among the very best French foundries.
Fonderie SUSSE	It's the only remaining French foundry with a tradition dating back to the early 19th century. It has received commissions from all the major French 20th century sculptors (Germaine Richier, Alberto Giacometti). It still functions in Arcueil (92), near Paris.
Fonderie GODARD	The plant was opened at the turn of the last century by Désiré Godard. His son Emile Godard took over from him in 1962, buying up the Bisciglia foundry in the town of Malakoff (92), in the South of Paris. He made bronze casts for Maillol (among others).
	Unique pieces
	In addition to his plaster and bronze work, an estimated number of 15 original beaten copper and welded iron pieces were created from 1970 to 1985. These are unique artefacts, no reproductions or copies were made.
	Original editions and ethical guidelines
	According to the set of ethical guidelines put together and agreed upon by the artistic founders within the French Founders' General Union, the term " original " can only be used for an artist's works cast in a metallic alloy. The allowed number of copies or original casts is limited to 12, the first eight of which are designated as " 1/8 ", " 2/8 " and so on, the following four, or artist's copies (Epreuve d'Artiste), are marked as follows : EA I/IV, EA II/IV, etc., using Roman numerals. Those rules are set out in §3 of those guidelines.