Joël Martel

Joël and his twin brother Jan Martel participated in the sculpturing category at the 1948 London Olympic Games in the Art Competitions, Jan with Polo Player and Joël with Bicycling Trophy. Both studied from 1912 at the École National des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and worked as sculptors, designers and interior designers. They applied new or rarely used materials in sculpture and often collaborated with architects such as Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1929, they were among the founding members of the Union des Artistes Modernes, and were both best-known for their ornamental sculptures, statues, monuments and fountains displaying characteristics typical of the Art Déco and Cubist periods, which included a monument to the great French composer and musician Claude Debussy. Their avant-garde sculptures for their four concrete Cubist (trees) designed for a garden setting at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris became especially well-known. Both were closely tied to their native region, the Vendée, and died in 1966, about six months apart from one another, Jan in an accident and Joël as the result of a long struggling illness.

The brothers usually did not individually sign their works, so the separate assignment in the 1948 art catalog may not be correct. The Polo Player, a 60 cm high and long sculpture, dates back to 1930. The first version is still missing the quarter disks, which can be seen on a picture dated 1934. In 2002, eighth bronze casts were made. In 1948, a plaster model was entered. The same motif also appears on a medal. The Bicycling Trophy was made of aluminum, but could not be identified until now.