Albert Gilles: Difference between revisions
RPhillips7 (talk | contribs) Spelling Mistakes |
m Modified 'Disney' to 'Walt Disney Company,' the formal name. |
||
| Line 40: | Line 40: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Albert Gilles''' (August 20, 1895 – 1979) was a French [[coppersmith]] known for his [[Metalworking|metalwork]] technique of shaping [[Ductility|malleable]] metals. During his career as an artisan and designer, Gilles created public and private works for [[The Walt Disney Company |
'''Albert Gilles''' (August 20, 1895 – 1979) was a French [[coppersmith]] known for his [[Metalworking|metalwork]] technique of shaping [[Ductility|malleable]] metals. During his career as an artisan and designer, Gilles created public and private works for [[The Walt Disney Company]], [[Chrysler]], and [[General Motors]]. He is known for his later works depicting the life of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Unknown |title="ALBERT GILLES, Master in Metalwork" |journal=Craft Horizons (Archive: 1941-1978) |date=1 December 1950 |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=11-16 |url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/albert-gilles-master-metalwork/docview/1493607034/se-2 |access-date=2 April 2024}}</ref>[[File:Entrance door to our museum.jpg|thumb|422x422px|A relief scene of [[Matthew 14:25]] from the doors of [[Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]].]] |
||
[[File:Chalice of Montreal.jpg|thumb|''The depicted [[Chalice]] was commissioned by [[Pope Pius XII]] in 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Montreal.'']] |
[[File:Chalice of Montreal.jpg|thumb|''The depicted [[Chalice]] was commissioned by [[Pope Pius XII]] in 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Montreal.'']] |
||
Revision as of 17:39, 2 April 2024
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Albert Gilles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Albert Gilles in 1950 | |
| Born | Albert Louis Gilles August 20, 1895 |
| Died | 1979 (aged 83–84) |
| Nationality | French |
| Known for | Coppersmith, Art, Religious artwork |
| Notable work | Depiction of the Life of Jesus Christ |
| Children | Palmyre Gilles |
| Website | https://www.albertgilles-copper-art.com/ |
Albert Gilles (August 20, 1895 – 1979) was a French coppersmith known for his metalwork technique of shaping malleable metals. During his career as an artisan and designer, Gilles created public and private works for The Walt Disney Company, Chrysler, and General Motors. He is known for his later works depicting the life of Jesus Christ.[1]
Life
Albert Louis Gilles was born in Paris on August 20, 1895. At age 12, his aunt introduced him to the Repoussé technique, which he practised during evening art classes. Gilles injured his right hand during his service in World War I and rehabilitated it by milking cows at a farm in Normandy.
In 1927, Gilles emigrated to Quebec City, Canada. He moved to the United States two years later and settled in Detroit. There, he founded the Albert Gilles Studio, later renamed Cuivres d'Art Albert Gilles or the Albert Gilles Copper Art Studio.'
In addition to his work in the studio, Gilles worked as a decorator, metal sculptor, and silversmith in Detroit, Hollywood, and greater Los Angeles.
He was commissioned to repair the gates at Havana's National Capitol before returning to Canada in 1937, where he settled permanently in Québec. There, Gilles went on to set up a shop in Cowansville and began creating religious artwork for churches, including the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. In 1953, Gilles moved his workshop to Château-Richer, where his studio still operates today as a boutique and museum under the name of the Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum, run by the Gilles family. Gilles died in 1979.
Works
The American Years (1929-1957): Disney, Fox Film and Chrysler
Gilles was inspired by the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925. He worked for multiple clients, such as automotive magnates Charles Fisher of the Fisher Body Company (later General Motors), Aaron Mendelsohn, and K.T. Keller of Chrysler.
In 1933, Gilles moved to California and started working for Hollywood actors and actresses, including Joan Bennett, Constance Bennett, Fredric March, and Mae West. He contributed to the decoration of various residences for Sol M. Wurtzel of the Fox Film Corporation, Walt Disney, and Roy Oliver Disney.
In 1957, Gilles created four doors, each weighing 1,000 pounds, for the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles in his Château-Richer workshop.
'The Canadian Years (1937-1979): Religious Art and Murals
Gilles returned to Québec in 1937. He held an exhibition which consisted of 50 panels depicting the life of Christ in 1941. The following year, he received a commission from Pope Pius XII to design and produce a Chalice and Paten for the mass celebrating Montreal's 300th anniversary. He also worked on the copper roof of the Château Frontenac and the doors of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.
.jpg)
One of Gilles' most labored works is Christorama, a 50-tableau, hand-embossed depiction of the life of Jesus Christ. The project began as a commission in the early 1930s by Aaron Mendelsohn of General Motors to honor Mendelsohn's late wife. However, Mendelsohn died three years into the project, with only 40 of the reliefs complete. Gilles decided to continue work on Christorama in his spare time—an endeavor that would take 15 years to complete. The work remains on exhibition at Albert Gilles Copper Art & Museum.
Gilles created decorative elements for more than 30 churches across the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario. His decorative elements also can also be found in the United States and Jamaica. His artwork is displayed in several chapels and numerous parish churches.
References
External links
- Château-Richer biography of Gilles
- Mutual Art Biography of Gilles
- Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum Quebec
- Names Correction Regard
- ^ ""ALBERT GILLES, Master in Metalwork"". Craft Horizons (Archive: 1941-1978). 10 (4): 11–16. 1 December 1950. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
{{cite journal}}:|first1=missing|last1=(help)