Albert Gilles
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Albert Gilles (1895–1979) was a French coppersmith known for his Christian artwork.
Biography
Albert Louis Gilles was born in Paris on August 20, 1895.[1] He was introduced to the Repoussé technique by an aunt at age 12.[1] As an adult, he took art classes in the evening while working a commercial job during the day. He injured his right hand during his service in the First World War, but recovered the use of it by milking cows at a farm in Normandy.[1] After the war, Gilles resumed his artistic activities and participated in the 1926 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in Paris.
He emigrated to Canada in 1927, arriving in Quebec City on February 10th of that year[2]. In 1929, he founded the Albert Gilles Studio (which later was renamed Cuivres d'art Albert Gilles, and Albert Gilles Copper Art Studio). He also spent time working as a decorator, metal sculptor, and silversmith in Detroit, Hollywood and Los Angeles. In 1937, he was commissioned to repair gates in Havana's Capitol, before returning to Canada.
Albert Gilles died in 1979.
Achievements
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The American years
Gilles emigrated to the United States in early 1929, settling in Detroit. His work during this period was inspired by the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which he saw in Paris in 1925. He worked for clients including automotive magnates Charles Fisher and Aaron Mendelsohn of the Fisher Body Company (later General Motors) and K.T. Keller of Chrysler.
In 1933, he moved to California to work for leading film stars like Fredric March, Mae West, Joan and Constance Bennett. He also helped decorate various residences for Sol M. Wurtzel, of the Fox Film Corporation, and for Walt and Roy Oliver Disney, as well as the Los Angeles Times building.
In 1957, two decades after leaving the United States, he made four massive doors in his Château-Richer workshop for the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. The church was designated a historic monument in 2002.
In 1937, ten years after first landing in Quebec, Gilles returned, settling there permanently. His copper repoussé reliefs and cloisonné enamel murals were popular additions to the religious art scene of the time. He furthered his reputation as a religious artist with an exhibition of 50 panels in 1941 showing the life of Christ, followed in 1942 by a Papal commission to design and produce the chalice and paten for the mass celebrating Montreal's 300th anniversary.
He worked for a church and established himself in Quebec as a religious artist, where he made copper reliefs and enamel murals. In 1942, he was internationally recognized when commissioned by Pope Pius XII, to create the silver chalice offered to the Archdiocese of Montreal.
His “Christorama” exhibit is devoted to the life of Jesus Christ. The project started in the 1930s and took him 15 years to complete. The idea of the Christorama originated in Detroit, in 1932.
Aaron Mendelsohn of General Motors commissioned Gilles to create an illustrated life of Christ honoring Mendelsohn's late wife. Mendelsohn himself died when only 40 of the reliefs had been finished, and Gilles decided to finish and keep them.
The artist has contributed decorative elements to over thirty churches across Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario, in addition to international locations in the United States and Jamaica. Notable works include repoussé pieces in copper, brass, or silver located in the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica, as well as cathedrals in Cornwall, Ontario; Moncton, New Brunswick; and Valleyfield, Quebec. His artwork also enhances several chapels and numerous parish churches. Beyond ecclesiastical art, his relief work is featured on doors, architectural features, church furnishings, and various ceremonial objects. These reliefs often illustrate biblical scenes, such as the Fourteen Stations of the Cross or depictions of holy figures, and are sometimes assembled to create murals.
Albert Gilles Record Prices [3]
- Achilles Copper Relief Plaque
- Antique Lamp
- ART DECO PLAQUES
Reference
- ^ a b c "Notre histoire | Cuivres d'Art Albert Gilles". www.albertgilles-copper-art.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "Prizes".