- Marcel DERNY - Manufacture of SEVRES
Marcel Derny (1914-2003), a French sculptor and animalier draftsman, was born on January 3, 1914, in Paris. Orphaned by war, he grew up in Sarthe and then in Algeria until age 16, where his talent for animal modeling emerged. In 1928, he exhibited at the Orientalists in Algiers, winning his first prize. From 1931 to 1934, he studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris under Paul Belmondo, earning the Grand Prix de la Sculpture Ornementale in 1933. Joining the Sèvres Manufacture in 1934, he excelled in creating animal sculptures in enameled stoneware, collaborating with artists like Jean Mayodon on decorations for the ocean liners Pasteur and France. A member of the Salon de la Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1949, he exhibited in France and internationally. Honored with the Palmes Académiques (1952), named Chevalier (1976), then Officier des Arts et Lettres (1982), he was also recognized as a “living treasure” by Japan in 1999. A master of bronze and stoneware, Derny passed away on April 29, 2003, in Clamart, leaving a rich artistic legacy.
© Thomas Fritsch