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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Joseph Bernard's studio house, located in Boulogne-Billancourt, is an architectural and artistic testimony of the 4th quarter of the 19th and 1st quarter of the 20th century. Acquised by the sculptor in 1921, it houses his workshop designed by architect Charles Plumet, while the furniture was made by cabinetmaker Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. This place preserves traces of his work, such as the moulding of the frieze La Danse or exposed works (bronzes, drawings, watercolours).

Joseph Bernard (1866–1931), originally from Vienna (Isère), settled permanently in Boulogne-sur-Seine in 1921 after a career marked by various influences: academicism, symbolism, and the emancipation of Rodin's shadow. His workshop becomes a central place for the promotion of direct size, a movement he embodies alongside artists like Bourdelle or Maillol. The house, classified as a Historic Monument in 2000, illustrates this pivotal period between tradition and modernity.

The workshop houses iconic works such as the Effort towards Nature (1905), the first sculpture carved directly in stone by Bernard, or studies for public orders, such as the Youth Chamée by Love (1924) for the Petit Palais. The venue also reflects his collaborations, notably with Ruhlmann for the Exhibition of Decorative Arts of 1925, where he realized the Friesland of Dance.

Bernard's posterity is assured by his son Jean, who co-founded the Coubertin Foundation, the custodian of a major fund of his works (35 sculptures, 1,500 drawings). After a period of oblivion, exhibitions such as that of the Orangerie de Versailles (2007–2008) revived interest in his work, today present in museums such as Orsay or Grenoble.

Classified for its furniture and architecture, the house-workshop embodies the legacy of a pivotal artist between symbolism and Art Deco. Its inscription in 2000 protects a unique ensemble, combining sculptural creation, drawing and decoration, while documenting Bernard's innovative techniques, such as the use of plasticine in his last years.

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