Young Nude Girl Sitting on a Bundle of Flax. Raymond Rivoire. Made at the Claude Valsuani Foundry (Cire C.Valsuani Perdue)

VALSUANI DYNASTY. BRONZE WORKS OF VALSUANI. Claude Valsuani Foundry.First: MARCELLO VALSUANII – 1) CLAUDE VALSUANI – son of MarcelloI – 2) MARCEL VALSUANI – son of Claude II – AFTER VALSUANIII – 1) Demeurisse-SokolowskiII – 2) Taube-Lebel FoundryII – 3) Taube FoundryII – 4) Fonderie de la PlaineII – 5) AiraindorII – 6) Art Brass (Airain d'Art)II – 7) Airaindor-VALSUANI Art WorkshopII – 8) Parisian Company of Bronzes and Sculptures – Paintings (BPBS) More recently there appeared the company "CEPIMEX", engaged in import-export. III – 1) ATTILIO VALSUANI – son of MarcelloIII – 2) LUCIEN VALSUANI – son of AttilioIII – 3) CLAUDE VALSUANI – son of LucienIII – 4) THIERRY VALSUANI – son of Claude IV – AFTER VALSUANI: DELVAL– – – I – 1) CLAUDE VALSUANI – Died 9 September 1923 – Son of MarcelloCompany period: 1908–1981.Nationality: FrenchAddress: 74 Rue des Plantes, Paris XIV (Plaisance district).Mark: CIRE / C. VALSUANI / PERDUE(The stamp has belonged to the company Airaindor–Atelier des arts since 1981)For casts produced by Leonardo Benatov after 1981, the stamps are either identical to the old ones or slightly enlarged at the customer's request. Marcello Valsuani emigrated from Italy, probably as a specialist in lost-wax casting and blowtorch patination, at Hébrard's invitation when his foundry opened in 1902. Marcello likely preceded, then sometimes replaced or assisted as technical director or workshop manager Albino Palazzolo, whom Hébrard only hired in 1903 and who returned to Italy during World War I.There is a bronze by Rembrandt Bugatti (died 1916), whose entire production was cast by Hébrard under an exclusive contract, dedicated "To my friend Valsuani." Bugatti, feeling constrained by his contract with Hébrard, is said to have considered breaking it so that Marcello Valsuani would cast his works, encouraging him to set up independently. It may have been thanks to the insistence of Bugatti and other artists wishing to use the family's expertise without going through Hébrard's contracts that Claude, Marcello's son, opened his own foundry in Paris in 1908 at 74 Rue des Plantes.Claude Valsuani is said to have shown the car firms Bugatti (founded by the sculptor's brother) and Renault his lost-wax casting method for producing engine parts.Valsuani took premises that, at the end of the 19th century, had been occupied by Pierre Bingen, a well-known lost-wax founder. However, Valsuani did not occupy Bingen's exact premises but moved into a more recent building: a small house where he lived and an adjoining workshop of about 400 m2.Claude Valsuani practised hot patination with a blowtorch — a technique that only became widespread with the advent of gas torches that do not leave soot — a technique mastered by Italians in the early 20th century. He achieved extraordinarily beautiful results. The Valsuani foundry was also famous for its "Italian-style" core technique and the "cow-dung" core (see explanation of this technique in LEBON, p. 256, bottom of column 2 and p. 261, note 7) — a slow but economical process that produced remarkably fine results. Around 1910 he employed four to five people.Following Hébrard's example, Valsuani adopted the practice of numbering bronzes, although probably not systematically at first. On his casts he indicated the number of each sculpture relative to the total number of planned casts — something neither Hébrard nor Rudier were doing at that time. He appears to have been the first to adopt this method, certainly at the instigation of sculptors who, having learned from Hébrard's example, chose unambiguous numbering. This type of numbering gradually spread and eventually became the legal standard.Editions of casts made at Valsuani were often limited to 10 impressions or fewer. This standard, while not mandatory, seems to have been adopted by sculptors wishing to limit their production from the start of the 20th century until the regulations of 1968.Early in his career Claude did not always mark his works systematically.He quickly built a reputation as an excellent lost-wax founder. He attracted artists who valued quality. Never acting as a dealer, he willingly offered his support. He remained working alone in the foundry at the end of hostilities in April 1918.In 1919 he was implicated in the Rodin counterfeit case against Montagutelli. His good faith was recognized and he was not prosecuted.The sculptor Pierre Bouret worked at the foundry as a retoucher until the mid-1930s. Turridu Clementi, a young orphan and son of founder Tullio Clementi, did part of his apprenticeship with Claude Valsuani (from 1927 to 1932).Attilio (died circa 1960), Claude's younger brother, probably worked with him because when Claude suddenly died it was Attilio who warned clients and announced the need to take extraordinary measures. However, he did not take over the business and set up his own lost-wax foundry, apparently no later than 1926. I – 2) MARCEL VALSUANI – 1924–1974In 1923 the business was managed by Claude's widow. Then, in 1924, his son — also named Marcel, like his grandfather — interrupted medical studies to replace his father. He kept Claude Valsuani's stamp and maintained the foundry's excellent reputation.Under the names of Claude and Marcel, the foundry attracted the most prestigious and demanding sculptors. The stamp "Claude Valsuani" became synonymous with excellent quality and remarkable patinas. The "Valsuani black" is one of the most famous patinas produced by this firm.Valsuani is sometimes mentioned as a publisher in the interwar period, for example in relation to Pompon. However, he cannot be considered an editor in the same sense as Susse or Barbedienne: no contracts were signed with artists, they did not cede their rights and controlled their own production. Valsuani was simply their founder.Marcel Valsuani, like most of his peers, witnessed the decline of his business in the 1930s. He was mobilized for the entire war. The foundry resumed work only in 1947.In December 1950 Marcel Valsuani purchased the land and buildings at 74 Rue des Plantes. In 1952 the company employed six people, and by the mid-1970s their number had grown to around twenty.Occasionally Valsuani subcontracted sand casting to Susse or Georges Rudier. The casts were then delivered raw to Valsuani, who finished them (they bore the stamp "C. Valsuani").In 1973 Marcel Valsuani retired and moved to Nice, leaving the company in the hands of his technical director Antoine Tamburro.Claude Valsuani is the author of a text entitled: "Modern lost-wax casting processes," reproduced in Devaux, p. 301. II – AFTER VALSUANI II – 1) DEMEURISSE-SOKOLOWSKI – 1974–1977Then, by 1974 at the latest, the business was sold to Anne Demeurisse, daughter of the universal legatee of sculptor Pompon, who entrusted its management to her husband Jacques Sokolowski, an insurance broker by training whose ambitions came at an inopportune time during a recession. The company suffered heavy losses, some working methods drew hostility from the professional community, and in 1977 it was declared bankrupt.In 1977 the company was taken over by sculptor Olivier Brice (famous for creating Bokassa's throne!), who served as manager from 1977 to 1980. Then part of the team left the foundry to help create a new foundry called: II – 2) TAUBE-LEBEL FOUNDRY – 1977–circa 1981Lost-wax castingIn 1977 Jean Lebel, former project manager at the Claude Valsuani foundry on Rue des Plantes, joined with Taube to create the "Fonderie Taube-Lebel" in La Plaine-Saint-Denis. The technical team was led by D. Jolivot and J. Rosini, former employees of the Valsuani foundry since 1974. II – 3) TAUBE FOUNDRY – Circa 1981 – 24 March 1984Lost-wax castingJean Lebel left the company around 1981.Mark: . CIRE . / TAUBE / (center: a tree) / PARIS / PERDUEOnly Lebel's name was removed from the stamp.The Taube foundry ceased operations on 24 March 1984. II – 4) FONDERIE DE LA PLAINE – 1984–1985Lost-wax castingAddress: 6 Rue Proudhon, 93210 La Plaine-Saint-Denis.Stamp (hexagonal): FONDERIE / DE LA / PLAINE / (center: a sun) / CIRE / PERDUE The business assets were immediately taken over by D. Jolivot and J. Rosini, who created the limited company "Fonderie de La Plaine."Moulding is sometimes subcontracted. The wax models, casting, chasing and patination are done by the company itself. II – 5) AIRAINDOR – 1985–1992Mark: WAX / AIRAINDOR / LOSTThe Airaindor foundry opened in Chevreuse in 1985. As early as 1981 its founder, the sculptor Leonardo Bounatian-Benatov (known as Benatov, b. 1942), son of the Russian-Armenian painter Leonardo Bounatian-Benatov (1899–1972), relocated the foundry and established Airaindor Valsuani in Chevreuse. He acquired the stamp "CIRE/C.VALSUANI/PERDUE" at a candle sale, which he used either in its original form or in a slightly enlarged, squarer version at clients' requests or when he wanted to distinguish his work from that of the famous Rue des Plantes foundry. In 1989 Benatov was legally recognized, and again on appeal in 1991, in proceedings he initiated against Michel Toselli, the owner of the registered trademark "Valsuani." However, in 1997 he lost a cassation appeal against Thierry Valsuani (great-grandson of Attilio Valsuani and himself a founder), who after Michel Toselli became owner of the stamp "Attilio Valsuani," a stamp Benatov had contested in court to defend the right to use that family name.The foundry specialized in vacuum casting of monumental pieces using a single-stream pouring method. In June 1992 Airaindor was placed under external administration by court order. Mr. Benatov recreated the company as:II – 6) ART BRASS (AIRAIN D'ART) – 1993The foundry subsequently changed names several times, as founding dates remain somewhat uncertain… II – 7) AIRAINDOR-VALSUANI ART WORKSHOP – operating after 1993Addresses :– 72 bis Rue de la Porte de Paris, 78460 Chevreuse– La Croix Saint-Lubin, Rue Fabre d'Églantine, 78460 Chevreuse II – 8) PARISIAN COMPANY OF BRONZES AND SCULPTURES – PAINTINGS (BPBS) More recently there appeared the company "CEPIMEX", engaged in import-export. In the early 1990s the foundry had close relations with the gallery ART et ART at 204 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris.On 6 January 2012 Benatov received the quality label "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company) from Frédéric Lefebvre, Secretary of State for Crafts, and Valérie Pécresse, then Government Spokesperson. III – 1) ATTILIO VALSUANI – Died circa 1960 – Son of MarcelloCompany period: before 1927 (1926?) – 1981.Nationality: ?Address: 1 Rue Gustave Tricard (= 108 Avenue Aristide Bruant, = 108 Route d'Orléans, = 1 Rue Bertie-Albrecht), Bagneux (Hauts-de-Seine)Stamps :– WAX / A. VALSUANI / LOST– CIRE PERDUE / A. VALSUANI / PARIS (only one known example) Marcello Valsuani arrived in France at the beginning of the 20th century, apparently at Hébrard's invitation, who made him workshop chief when his foundry opened in 1902. Two sons came with or soon after him: Claude, who from 1908 established a foundry on Rue des Plantes, and Attilio, who by 1910 was already living in Paris.It is quite possible that Attilio initially assisted his brother. Despite a few stamps, nothing proves the existence of a foundry owned by Attilio in Paris. Did he use the misleading but more prestigious designation "Paris" before settling in Bagneux? The exact date of his move to Bagneux cannot be established. Sculptor Gualterio Busato reports that his father, Mario Busato, before opening his own foundry in 1932, worked as a wax retoucher for Attilio Valsuani from 1923 to 1931. Having visited that workshop before its disappearance, Busato testifies that it always operated in very precarious conditions.In Bagneux Attilio Valsuani appears as owner of a workshop at 1 Rue Gustave Tricard from 1929, a house on Rue de Limours and a small house at 44 Route d'Orléans from 1934.Records indicate he was established as a founder in Bagneux no later than 1926, 1929 or 1931. He began his business precariously, probably around 1926 or a little earlier, perhaps coinciding with his brother Claude's death in 1923.Attilio's foundry appears in the commercial directory only in 1933: from 1933 to 1935 as "New artistic foundry working by lost-wax" and from 1936 as "Valsuani, lost-wax casting."Between 1950 and 1956 Mrs. Valsuani (née Alice Siran) was listed as owner and paid the property taxes. Attilio died around 1960.Attilio received sculptor clients with high demands. He used cow-dung for moulding (see explanation of this technique in LEBON, p. 256, bottom of column 2 and p. 261, note 7). He always used a low-copper alloy that produced a very yellow metal. After careful chasing he applied a high-quality hot patina. III – 2) LUCIEN VALSUANIThe foundry passed to Attilio's son Lucien; he is said to have been the proprietor in 1972 and resided at 2 Avenue de Touraine, Sceaux. III – 3) CLAUDE VALSUANI – son of LucienClaude succeeded Lucien at an unknown date (do not confuse him with his great-uncle). Talented in patination, he was less skilled at company management, and his taste for luxury led to his financial ruin.In 1977 the business tax was collected from the "Établissements Valsuani et fils SARL", which oddly described itself as a custom lead foundry.Claude suffered from an incurable disease and his foundry was in a critical financial position when a fire of unknown origin destroyed it in September 1981. The fire destroyed all company archives and numerous moulds. Claude closed his company and in December 1981 sold the stamp "Attilio Valsuani" to Michel Toselli for a token sum. (Between 1989 and 1997 there was litigation between Michel Toselli and Leonardo Benatov regarding the Valsuani stamps.)Claude later provided financial support to create a new foundry run by his former workshop manager Gérard Delmas (see paragraph IV).Claude died in October 1985. III – 4) THIERRY VALSUANI – son of ClaudeAfter a long stay abroad he joined the Delval company in 1983. In 1986 he separated from Gérard Delmas and opened his own foundry in Paunat in Dordogne, operating under the stamp "T. Valsuani."Gérard Delmas became sole owner of Delval (see section IV). IV – AFTER VALSUANI: DELVALThis foundry, named "Delval" by combining Delmas–Valsuani, was established in Antony on Rue des Rabats. Gérard Delmas reused some equipment saved from the fire and relied on former Bagneux foundry clients.He was also supported by artists who had been clients of A. Valsuani and encouraged the creation of the new company. In 1986 he moved to Antony with his sons Olivier and Arnaud and began using his own stamp.A "Delval" stamp was created and used immediately. (Except for the period when Delval produced casts for Michel Toselli, owner of the "A. Valsuani" stamp, mainly for numerous works by Camille Claudel.)Start date: 1982, period of activity.Address: Rue des Rabats, Antony.The foundry does not record the works cast nor their numbering. On the contrary, it systematically places all responsibility for numbering, the year of casting and the sculptor's signature on the commissioner of the casts. In this foundry casting, chasing and patination are practised. There is no moulding workshop.Sources and external linksSources: 1) Yves Devaux, "L'univers des bronzes...", Paris, 1978, p.301. - 2) Jean-Charles Hachet, "Illustrated Dictionary of Animalier Sculptors and Founders from Antiquity to the Present", 2 vols., 2005. "Founders", vol. II, pp. 885–886. - 3) Pierre Kjellberg, "Bronzes of the 19th Century (Dictionary of Sculptors)", Paris, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, 1989, p. 678. 4) Elisabeth Lebon, "Dictionary of Founders", 2003, pp. 256–263.