Prost, Maurice

Maurice Prost was born in Paris in 1894, apprenticing under a sculptor at age fourteen.  In December of 1914, the majority of his left arm was amputated after an accident, though he continued to sculpt despite the loss.  He set up his first workshop in Rue E. Cresson in Paris and subsequently moved his shop in 1926 to Brunoy.  The Exposition Universelle in 1937 proved a turning point in his career, at which he exhibited and was recognized for his sculpture of Pegasus and from which he received numerous large commissions - his two four meter sculptures of Pegasus were commissioned for the Bridge de l’Alma.  From 1920 through 1930 he exhibited regularly at Salon des Artistes Fraçais, achieving honorable mention in 1922 and a silver medal in 1936.  He exhibited in 1927 at the Susse Gallery in Paris, in 1930 at the Parisian Gallery of Edgar Brandt and at the Colonial Exposition in 1931.  In 1933 he received the Légion d’Honneur and a large number of his works are held in the Brunoy museum.

Literature:

• Art Bronzes, Michael Forrest, 1988, p. 220-221
• E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Gründ, 2006, Vol. XI, p. 425-426
• Susse Frères 150 Years of sculpture 1837-1987, Editions Susse Frères, Pierre Cadet, 1992, p.75
• Maurice Prost, Sculpteur et Peintre Animalier (1894-1967): Exposition Musée Municipal Robert Dubois-Corneau, Brunoy, April 10 - September 30 2007, pp. 25 and 46
• Maurice Prost Sculpteur Animalier (1894-1967),  Pierre Kastelyn, éd. Concorde Art International, Paris, 1999, p. 15