Paul Gondard, Portrait of Honoré Daumier (1948)

PAUL GONDARD (Marseille, 1884-1953) Portrait of Honoré Daumier. 1948. Plaster. H. 28 cm. Signed and dated: P. Gondard / 1948. This portrait, by the sculptor Paul Gondard, represents his fellow Marseillais, the greatest caricaturist of the 19th century, Honoré Daumier (1808-1879). The work is likely linked to the competition organised by the Honoré Daumier Committee at the end of the 1940s, which also included other Marseillais sculptors such as Eli-Jean Vézien and Louis Botinelly. In fact, the monument dedicated to Daumier was inaugurated in Place Daviel in Marseille in July 1949, featuring a bronze head of Daumier by Antoine Bourdelle, who passed away in 1926. This portrait of Daumier by Gondard is not only aesthetic but also holds historical significance.