Félix Agostini, Paris, 1910 - 1980
Born in Paris, this fiery artist was still a worthy heir to Corsica, the Isle of Beauty. He was always guided by love: a love of lines, women, beauty, birds, and music. This harmony shone through the slender designs he presented during his lifetime in his Paris boutique on the Rue de Penthièvre, as well as in the Cusin de Mougins gallery one month each summer.
In his thirties, following a career as an advertising artist (with imprimerie Draeger), after the war the self-taught designer launched a business called "Douce Lumière", producing his first sculptures made of wood, wrought iron, and ceramic. From 1950 to his death, he turned out sconces, floor lamps, lampshades, consoles, and coffee tables characteristic of his unique style and the stylized abstraction of his surrealist lines. Bronze was used to create many characters and animals inspired by mythology in clean, subtle pieces mirroring the artist’s dreams, rages, and passions. He worked seamlessly from sketch to initial model, dexterously fashioning a world of stars and birds without hesitation or alteration.
Félix Agostini was often embarrassed by being late to meetings, but his works were ahead of their time. Just like Halley’s Comet, which appeared the year he was born, Agostini wanted his brilliance to precede him. Flying into the wind of preconceived notions, his art formed a radiant orbit, and the law of attraction transformed his powerful dreams into success.
With his "lucky star" lighting the way, as he liked to believe, this strong-willed man determined his own destiny up to his death, choosing to rest in Montmartre in the old tomb of Hector Berlioz, a widely admired composer who inspired many of the artist’s timeless sculptures.
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