French sculptor and medallist Raoul Eugène Lamourdedieu studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux where he was taught woodcarving, continuing his studies in Paris thanks to a scholarship. From 1899 he worked in the studio of Alexandre Louis Marie Charpentier, who also introduced him to the art of medals. In 1900 he helped develop decorative sculptures that decorated the Grand Palais. Until 1930, when he became a professor at the Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, Lamourdedieu presented his works through various exhibitions. In 1939 he became vice-president of the Salon d’automne. His work, influenced first by Rodin, and later by the work of Bourdelle and Maillol, was in line with the figurative tradition. In 1941, Lamourdedieu published the book Traité de la sculpture taillée (Treatise on the worked sculpture). In this, he favors making no models for stone figures but to work directly in stone. His daughter Hélène L. was also a sculptor and medalist.
France