Flapper, Seated Woman, 1928
Bronze
10 ½ x 7 7/8 x 4 5/8 in
Biography
Hélène Sardeau was born in Antwerp, Belgium on July 7, 1899 and came to the United States with her parents in 1913. The family settled in New York City where Sardeau attended Barnard College in 1919-20. She then attended Cooper Union, and subsequently the Art Students League of New York in 1921-22. She also enrolled in night classes at the School of American Sculpture in 1924-25. During her years as an art student in New York City, Sardeau created a series of portrait dolls of well-known actors and actresses. Modeled in clay, colored and dressed in knitted clothing, these dolls were exhibited in 1924 at Sardeau's first solo exhibition held at The Arden Galleries in New York City. This show was followed by another in 1925 at the Art Institute of Chicago and others at major galleries around the country. After gaining national success with her series of dolls, she turned her attention to the construction of masks and in 1927 she was commissioned to create masks for the Delphic Festival in Greece. Sardeau married the muralist, George Biddle in 1931.
