Irénée Rochard a master of 20th-century animal sculpture. 
Born in 1906 into an artistic family, Irénée Rochard turned to animal sculpture at a very early age, a field he considers to be one of the richest in terms of emotion and observation. He studied at Fine Arts, there he learned the traditional techniques of modelling, moulding and composition. He soon found his calling in depicting wildlife, whether domestic, wild or exotic. 

The style of Rochard is part of the tradition of French animal art, inherited from Barye, Frémiet or Pompon, but he brings his own signature to it: a stylish softness, rounded volumes, a simplified naturalism, to halfway between rigorous observation and decorative research. This aesthetic placed him at the heart of the Art Deco world, a movement in which he flourished. 

He sculpts a wide variety of animals: panthers, gazelles, horses, monkeys, birds, dogs, elephants and antelopes. Each of his works shows meticulous attention to the animal's attitude, movement and natural elegance. Rochard is not looking for the anecdote, but for the essential line, the right curve, the lively balance. This choice gives his sculptures great fluidity and immediate legibility. 

His works are made of bronze, regule, sometimes stone or composite materials typical of Art Deco. The patinated bronzes, often of great finesse, emphasise the softness of the surfaces and the precision of the silhouettes. Sculptures in regule, very much in evidence in the interiors of the 1930s, enabled him to reach a wider audience while retaining the quality of his artistic expression. 

Rochard receives numerous public and private commissions. He regularly exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he won several awards. His success can be attributed to an accessible, warm yet demanding visual language, capable of appealing to lovers of realism as much as to lovers of stylised aesthetics. 

Another essential dimension of his work is his sense of movement. Many of his animals appear to be in action: a panther ready to pounce, an astonished horse, a bird in flight, a gazelle taking off. Rochard captures the energy within and translates it into a dynamic silhouette that is always contained, controlled and balanced. 

Today, the works of Irénée Rochard are highly sought-after in collections, especially those in bronze, signed and numbered. They symbolise the spirit of Art Deco: elegance, simplicity, pure lines and harmony of form. Owning a sculpture by Rochard, welcome a piece that combines French tradition, modern sensibility and natural beauty. A decorative and expressive work that embodies a century of animal art.