HARRY LA MONTAGNE (1869-1959) - Lot 168

HARRY LA MONTAGNE (1869-1959) Portrait of Madame X. on horseback, possibly a one-of-a-kind piece, certainly from an edition of very few. Equestrian sculpture. Bronze proof with dark brown shaded patina. Cast from an early edition from the 1920s-1930s. Signed Harry LA MONTAGNE on the terrace. Height: 36.5 cm - Length: 46.5 cm - Depth: 15 cm (slight wear and oxidation to the patina) Bibliography and related works - Guy de Labretoigne - À nos chevaux et à ceux qui les sculptent! - Éditions Art-Select, Paris, 2014. Related works reproduced on pages 94 to 99, in the chapter devoted to the artist. - Cercle anglais de Pau - Harry La Montagne, un Américain à Pau (1920 à 1939) : dessins et albums des collections du Cercle anglais - Éditions Cairn, Morlaàs, 2019. Related works reproduced on pages 80 and 81. Harry La Montagne's entire life revolved around the world of horses and horseracing, which was much more than a passion for him: it was a major source of income, a way of life and the main inspiration for his artistic work. Born in New York in 1869, La Montagne lived between the United States and France, where he established himself and made his fortune as the owner of internationally renowned stables and racehorses. Enlisted at the outbreak of the Great War, he fought with the American cavalry on French soil, where he later chose to settle. A member of the Cercle Anglais, he frequented the social circles associated with riding and hunting, where he forged numerous social and professional links. During the 1920s, he made several visits to Pau, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, a favorite winter resort for wealthy English and Americans. It was here that La Montagne developed his artistic practice. Inspired by circle life, hunting and horse racing, La Montagne devoted himself as an amateur painter to producing drawings, oils on canvas, watercolors, pochades and caricatures tinged with his personal universe. His eye, both intimate and realistic, captures genre scenes and everyday moments - an approach he continued in his sculptural work. His bronzes, inspired by the same everyday life, naturally focus on horses and their riders - which the artist models with a deep concern for realism. By collaborating with the best foundrymen, and thanks to his personal fortune, La Montagne was able to produce sculptures of the highest quality: the contours of his bronzes are impeccably defined, and their shiny patinas, with their silky reflections, are particularly successful.