Mateo Hernandez
1885 – 1949
Mateo Hernández was an internationally renowned Spanish sculptor who spent the majority of his career in France. Recognized as one of the greatest masters of "taille directe" (direct carving) of the 20th century, he particularly distinguished himself in animalier sculpture. By carving without preliminary models into the hardest rocks like granite or diorite, his powerful and streamlined work deeply marked the Art Deco period.
Biography
Born into a family of stonemasons and builders in Spain, he developed a physical connection with stone from a very early age. He moved to Paris in 1906, later permanently setting up his studio in Meudon, where he worked until the end of his life.
Rejecting traditional clay modeling and pointing machines, he sculpted the stone block directly with his chisels. He deliberately chose the hardest and most demanding materials, such as granite, basalt, porphyry, and black diorite.
A meticulous observer, he spent countless hours at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, sculpting animals from life (panthers, bears, macaques, birds). His works, with their smooth and massive volumes, captured the anatomy, energy, and truth of his subjects with striking force.
Highly admired by his peers, he exhibited regularly at the Salon d'Automne and achieved widespread acclaim by winning the Grand Prix for sculpture at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, sealing his place in the history of modern sculpture.
" I work as if I were never to die. "
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