At the age of 16 Félix Charpentier entered the Municipal School of Fine Arts at Avignon, and then moved to the École des Beaux-Arts at Paris. Charpentier was inspired by ancient sculptors, seeking the expression of feminine grace and male movement in his works. He excelled in nude portraits and representations. He also built several war memorials after World War I. In his lifetime he created more than 40 war memorials of World War I and more than 200 busts of famous people. Later he became a leading member of the Société des Artistes français and in 1892 Knight of the Legion of Honor. In 1900, he became the major of his hometown Chassant, Eure-et-Loir. Charpentier began the life-size work Les Lutteurs (The Wrestlers) in 1893 and was for this awarded the gold medal of the World’s Fair of 1900. In 1905, the sculpture was handed over to his hometown Bollène, where it still stands on a high pedestal in the center of the city. There is also a smaller, 65 cm high bronze version of the group.
France