Jean Lambert-Rucki (1888–1967) was a Polish
avant-garde artist, sculptor, and
graphic artist. He was best known for his participation in the
Cubist,
Surrealist and
Art Deco movements. He exhibited at the 1913
Salon d'Automne in Paris; from
1919 was represented by both
Léonce Rosenberg at the Galerie de l'Effort Moderne and the art dealer
Paul Guillaume. In March 1920, Lambert-Rucki exhibited at the second exhibition of la
Section d'Or, Galerie de La Boétie, Paris, and participated in the first exhibition of l'Union des Artistes Modernes, where he continued to show his works. He worked with diverse styles and media, at times he was influenced by the
tribal art of
Africa. Lambert-Rucki also became well known for his Cubist cityscapes.[1][2]
Early life
Born in 1888 in
Kraków, Poland, Jean Lambert-Rucki was the youngest of a large family. He was eleven years old when his father died suddenly. A child prodigy, he earned a living by making portraits that surprised the
Bourgeoisie of Kraków.[1]
He attended art school in his hometown to pursue his studies, and then went to the School of Fine Arts in Kraków where he became friends with
Moïse Kisling, who was an artist he found n Paris. His youth was marked by immersion in the rich folklore of Central Europe. He made several trips to Russia, frequented gypsies, and learned Russian dances. His work throughout his career remained deeply imbued with the product of these early experiences.[1]
Lambert-Rucki earned his living by retouching photographs in
Montmartre, something which did not fulfill his monetary needs. In 1913 he moved into a studio at 29 rue Campagne Première in the
14th arrondissement of Paris. In 1914 he engaged in the
French Foreign Legion to serve France during the war. He changed his name to Jean Lambert-Rucki. He was wounded during the war and he was assigned to the Archeological Service at the
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki in Greece, where he conducted excavations. He later made copies of the mosaics of Sainte Sophie de Salonique for the Louvre under the direction of Jean Guiffrey the Curator for the Department of Painting, Musées nationaux.[1]
During his military service he befriended sculptors
Joseph Csaky and
Gustave Miklos. Miklos became the godfather of Lambert-Rucki's daughter Théano, called "Mara". In 1918, demobilized, Lambert-Rucki returned to Paris where he settled at 12 rue du Moulin-de-Beurre in the Montparnasse district.[1]
In 1920 Lambert-Rucki married Monique Bickel (born 1892), who was a pupil of the sculptor
Auguste Rodin. Their daughter Mara Rucki was born 7 April 1920.[1]
In 1923 he became friends with the
CoppersmithJean Dunand, with whom he worked with for twenty years. He refused the proposal of Jean Dunand to co-sign their works (except at the very beginning of their cooperation).[1]
From 1925 to the end of his life, Lambert-Rucki exhibited his works, many of which were commissioned, throughout Europe, Canada and the United States, and churches (large renovations after the Great War). The same year, he collaborated with
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean Dunand for the
International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts of 1925, the exhibition that epitomized what came to be called decades later
Art Deco, a "modern" style characterized by a streamlined geometric and symmetric compositions, and a sleek machine-age look.[5][6]
Jean Lambert-Rucki became a
naturalized French citizen in 1932.[8]
In 1933, he left his Montparnasse studio for one at 26 Rue des Plantes, Paris. In May 1943, he participated in a group exhibition of artists in the "2ème groupe" at Galerie Drouant-David in Paris.
He remained solitary throughout his life, fleeing the world with its demands and its vanities. His raison d'être was the incessant need to create something "new".[1]
Death
In 1967 at the age of 80, he died at his home at Rue des Plantes, Paris, France from a vascular disease.
1932, presents a religious sculpture at the Crémaillère that provokes a scandal that forced him to remove his work from the exhibition
1934, first manifestation d'Art Sacré at l'Hôtel des Ducs de Rohan
1936, participates at the manifestation d'Art Sacré, l'OGAR (Office Général d'Art Religieux), 241 bd St Germain
1937, Exposition Internationale, Pavillon de l'U.A.M. He creates l'Accueil des Artistes Modernes, a sculpted wall at the entrance, and several masks and sculptures inside the pavillon. He presents Bonhomme Lambert at the Pavillon de la Lumière. He participates in the Pavillon de la Solidarité Nationale and makes jewelry for
Jean Fouquet. The French State commissions a sculpture entitled l'Homme au pardessus.
1938, Exposition de l'Art Sacré, Pavillon Marial
1942, Solo exhibition at Galerie Drouant-David, where he exhibits paintings and sculpture
Saint Sebastien, 1950, sculpted wood, monochrome paint, 181 x 48 x 25 cm, Mont-de-Marsan; musée de la ville
Selected literature
Artur Winiarski, Jean Lambert-Rucki, Warsaw, 2017
J. Lambert-Rucki, Marc-André Ruan, Jean-Pierre Tortil, 1988
Lambert-Rucki: A Lyrical Surrealist, Soufer Gallery, 199?
Gargallo, Csáky, Lambert-Rucki: exposition Mairie de Paris, Musée Bourdelle, Pablo Gargallo, Jozsef Csáky, 1977
Jean Lambert-Rucki, 1888–1967: vente, Hôtel Drouot, salle 1, M A Ruan, J P Tortil & Jacques de Vos, 1971
Jean Lambert-Rucki: présentation d'une donation, 11 octobre 1997-18 janvier 1998, Musée départemental de l'Oise, Beauvais, 1997
Jean-Lambert-Rucki (1888–1967): Un sculpteur au service de l'Eglise (1938–1967), Alain Choubart, 1992
Atelier Jean Lambert-Rucki et Mara Rucki, Hôtel Drouot, 1981
Jean Lambert-Rucki : et les modernes classiques : Galerie Franka Berndt Bastille, Paris, du 13 septembre au 31 octobre 1990, Hôtel des ventes (Enghien-les-Bains, France), 1990
Lambert-Rucki et les modernes classiques: Exposition. Franka Berndt Bastille, Galerie (Paris), 1990
Alexandre Vialatte au miroir de l'imaginaire, 2003
Collection Mara Et Léano Rucki, 25 Sculptures de Jean Lambert-Rucki. Mara Rucki, Léano Rucki, Tajan SA., 2003
Lambert-Rucki [1888–1967]: collection Jacques De Vos et à divers amateurs; Art nouveau, art déco : vente, Paris, Drouot-Montaigne, 9 mars 1994, commissaires-priseurs, Mes Christian de Quay, Delavenne et Lafarge, Jacques De Vos, 1994
Art contemporain: Paul Kallos, né en 1928, bel ensemble de 18 oeuvres de 1954 à 1984, ensemble exceptionnel d'oeuvres de Jean Lambert-Rucki, 1888–1967, 12 sculptures, épreuves d'artistes, 2 tableaux provenant de la famille de l'artiste : vente, Paris, Drouot-Montaigne, 14 avril 1992, commissaire-priseur, Me Pierre Cornette de Saint-Cyr Paul Kallos, Jean Lambert- Rucki, 1992
L'Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac et ses bâtisseurs, Claude Bergeron, Geoffrey Simmins, Jean Rochon (dom.), 1997
History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution, David Raizman, 2003
Modern Figurative Paintings, 1890–1950: The Paris Connection, Martin Wolpert, Jeffrey Winter, 2004
Collection Sjöberg: Jean Lambert-Rucki, Roger Bezombes, Henri Sjöberg, Drouot, 2002
The Originality of the Avant-garde and Other Modernist Myths, Rosalind E. Krauss, 1986
Marcel Breuer and a Committee of Twelve Plan a Church: A Monastic Memoir, Hilary Thimmesh, Marcel Breuer, 2011
Jean Dunand: his life and works, Félix Marcilhac, 1991,
Library Catalog of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Library, 1987
Jean Lambert-Rucki, 1888–1967, Jacques de Vos, Paris, 1991
Art Deco, Judith Miller, 2007
Golan, Romy (1995). Modernity and Nostalgia: Art and Politics in France Between the Wars.
Les Africanistes, peintres voyageurs: 1860–1960, Lynne Thornton, 1990
History of art, Kirsten Bradbury, 2005
The encyclopedia of art deco, Alastair Duncan, 1998
Christie's Art Deco, Fiona Gallagher, Simon Andrews, Michael Jeffery, 2000
Art Deco, Victor Arwas, 2000
Art deco 1910–1939, Tim Benton, Charlotte Benton, Ghislaine Wood, 2003
The Andy Warhol collection: sold for the benefit of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Volume 1, Andy Warhol, John L. Marion, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, 1988
20th Century Decorative Arts, Sotheby's (Firm), 1990
The design encyclopedia, Mel Byars, 2004
Rings: Through the Ages, Anne G. Ward, 1981
Art, Design, Photo, Alexander Davis, 1973
"Primitivism" in 20th century art: affinity of the tribal and the modern, Volume 2, William Stanley Rubin, Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.), 1984
Art Deco Interiors: Decoration and Design Classics of the 1920s and 1930s, Patricia Bayer, 1998
Autour d'un piano de Jean Dunand: sculpteur, dinandier, laqueur, 1877–1942, Jean Dunand, Galerie Jacques de Vos, Claire Bussac, 1991
Art Deco, Eva Weber, 2004
Collection Mara et Léano Rucki: 25 sculptures de Jean Lambert-Rucki, Félix Marcilhac, 2003
Kisling and his friends, Barbara Brus-Malinowska, Jerzy Malinowski, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, 1996
Catalogue raisonné
A Catalogue raisonné of the works of Jean Lambert-Rucki is being prepared by the Comité Jean Lambert-Rucki (an association created 29 October 2008 and declared in the Journal Officiel 12 November 2008).