BARYE, ANTOINE-LOUIS

born Sept. 24, 1796, Paris, Fr. died June 29, 1875, Paris prolific French sculptor, primarily of animals, known as the father of the Animalier school. The son of a jeweler, Barye was apprenticed to an engraver of military equipment at age 13; after serving in the army, he worked for a time in the jewelry trade. In about 1817 he began to sculpt while working in the studio of the sculptor Franois Bosio. He was also influenced by the Romantic paintings of Thodore Gricault. From 1823 to 1831 he worked with Fauconnier, a goldsmith. Barye's talent for rendering dynamic tension and exact anatomical detail is especially evident in his most famous bronzes, those of wild animals struggling with or devouring their prey. He also produced many figures and groups of domestic animals. Barye moved in and out of the dominant artistic circle during his turbulent career. He exhibited his bronzes at the Salons of 1827 and 1831, receiving a second prize for his Lion Devouring a Gavial. In 1834 he began to have conflicts with the academic art establishment and did not exhibit again until 1850.