Louis Kley (1833-1911)
and died in the year 1911. The French artist became famous for creating several Art Nouveau sculptures with many different motives. He executed some sculptures of children as well as some sculptures of animals and he got also in touch with the theme mythology. But even he liked mythology themes he also created sculptures characterized by allegorical themes.
The life of Louis Kley
The artist and sculptor Kley spent most of his lifetime in Paris, France, where he also attended classes by J. M. Lequien. Kley created during his lifetime many sculptures, medallions, portrays and monuments made of bronze and of gypsum. The French artist took almost annual part at the great Salon in Paris, France. The Salon in Paris was an art exhibition once brought into life by King Ludwig XIV in 1667 and that took annual part in Paris. Ludwig XIV invented this exhibition because he wanted to show the public and his folk the Royal taste of art.
At the beginning only members of the Royal Art Academy got the permission to show their art, but after the French Revolution in 1789 to 1799 the salon was open to all students and all the other artists.
Influences on his works
Having the permission to show artwork at the salon, like Kley was doing it, was a long time mentioned as a general precondition for being accepted as an artist, like a painter or a sculptor. At the beginning, when the participa
tion was still limited, kind of conventional ideas ruled the exhibition and everything unconventional and innovative art was refused. But the time Kley was living, he exhibited his very detailed, filigree and attractive sculptures of Art Nouveau at the Salon de Paris. And his sculptures caused a sensation because of the perfect craftsmanship of Kley and its beautiful results.
Especially the mythological theme was good for the characteristics of Art Nouveau; his sculptures of small angels were lovely characterized by Art Nouveau details and staged out perfectly. And the series of children sculptures made by the French sculptor Kley impressed the audience with many natural and fanciful details. Kley was really influenced by the epoch of Art Nouveau and almost his complete artwork was influenced by this fanciful epoch. Art Nouveau was a historical epoch of art at the turn of the century. Besides Art Nouveau the epoch was also known Modern Style, Stile Liberty, Modernisme, Wiener Secession, Stil Modern, Fin de Siècle and in Germany as Jugendstil. Nowadays the artwork and the descendant's estate of Louis Kley reach the status of real beloved collector's items of the epoch of Art Nouveau.