Roger Godchaux 

Biography of Roger Godchaux  ( 1878-1958 )

Roger Godchaux was a renown sulptor, son of an antique dealer and a famous concert pianist. In 1894, the artist settled in Paris to prepare his entrance to the Fine Art School. There, he became the student of Jules Adler and Jean-Léon Gérôme. He was fascinated by animal art and particularly by the work of Antoine-Louis Barye. Then he joined the famous Académie Julian in 1896 where he trained scupture.

From 1905, he began to exhibit his sculptures in Paris and then regularly took part in the Salon of French Artists.

Moving to Saint Lô in 1914, during the WWI, he was quickly assigned to the War Office’s board. During this time, he drew for the allies' propaganda.

After the War, he returned to Paris and started again to exhibit at the Salon where he gained a silver medal in 1922. The same year, he got his first order from State : two bronzes for the library of the Army Museum. In 1925, the jury of the International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Modern Arts awarded him with a medal. The American Newark Musem also bought him some sculptures. He regularly exhibited in famous galleries such as the Galerie Georges Petit, the Galerie Charpentier or the Galerie Edgar Brandt.

Roger Godchaux also made some animal drawings and paintings. These are often inspired by farm animals he enjoyed observing. He also painted some portraits of his family or friends, like Gaston Suisse or René Huchet.

As a naturalist sculptor, he used to represent animals in a realistic way. Godchaux worked on all the domestic and wild animals, but lions and elephants from Asia were his preference. He used to observe them at the Jardin des Plantes or in circus and succeeded in faithfully transposing in his sculptures there specific appearances. 

The same model of our sculpture is now part of the collection of Alphonse Georges Poulain Museum in Vernon. An important exhibition on Roger Godchaux’ works has been held in this Museum in 1993.