Fred Brouard

(1944 – 1999)

Fred Brouard, a celebrated sculptor and designer of furniture and jewelry was born in Normandy, France, on April 28, 1944. He entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, where he studied under Savary Leleu, a well-known painter and sculptor.

Following this, he was accepted to the famed Ecole National Superiure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He settled in the Latin Quarter, and apprenticed in the studio of Henri-Georges Adam. It was then that he decided that he wanted to be a sculptor, but because of a lack of funds, his first works were in plaster.

He was fortunate to become an assistant to the sculptor Alicia Penalba in 1967, and she was impressed by his talent and originality. Under her auspices, in 1970, he showed his work at the International Exhibition of Jewelry and Contemporary Art in Montreal, Canada.

By 1973, he was able to open his own workshop, and became friendly with many other artists and sculptors who would help him to further his career. Among them was Emilio Maccioni, who had an interior design shop, and Brouard worked with him  to create unusual and very original bronze furniture. He went on to exhibit at the prestigious Sonnabend Gallery in New York.

In 1974, he was invited to participate in the Great Exhibition – Youth of Today, and he received the coveted “Signatures” award. In 1975, Brouard was asked to participate in the Biennale of Padua, which was held in Lausanne, Switzerland.

By 1974, he was able to purchase a modest house in Yvelines, where he set up his studio, and was free to explore and express his ideas. he was a perfectionist, and worked with skilled metal artisans to perfect his works, and he took part in numerous group exhibitions.

He was asked to participate in many important exhibitions in Paris, won a prize for his sculpture from the ADAC, and was invited to be on the jury for the “Signatures” award.

It was in 1978 that Brouard had his first solo exhibition, at Espace Ecureuil in Paris.He took part in the International Exhibition of Vaudreuil, and also showed his work at the gallery of Hartmut Schwarzkopf in Heidelberg, and in 1981, he exhibited his work in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the Paris based Salon d’Art Sacré. This was followed by exhibitions at L’Espace Cardin, the Salon d’Automne.

He was chosen, in 1983, to design a trophy for the Union Chamber of Automobile Importers for the highly-regarded Prestige Automotive – Haute Couture. One of his large sculptures was purchased by The National Fund for Contemporary Art.

In 1984, Brouard opened a studio in Paris. In the same year, he showed his work at the famed Paris Air Show. In 1986, he was asked to show his jewelry at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. He also participated at the EC Forum de la Villette.

Encouraged by auctioneer Eric Couturier, he decided to offer his work  at auction through the Hôtel Drouot.

In 1989, Brouard showed his work for the second time at Atlantis Gallery. He continued to participate in many exhibitions. He saw many clients at his workshop, and was given many private commissions, among them a collection of jewelry in wood and bronze.

In 1993, he was asked by the General Council of l’Ain to create a grand relief in mahogany, measuring 12 meters, for the city of Bourg en Bresse, which was very well received.

Brouard traveled in both Egypt and the Caribbean during 1994 and 1995, and also exhibited at Art Actuel. also at this time, he began an exploration on the theme of Don Quixote, and produced numerous of Quixote and Dulcinea sculptures in a variety of materials.

In 1998, he began to spend a lot of time in his native  Normandy, where he took part in several exhibitions, and began work on a series of pieces for the Societé Generale in Paris, but, unfortunately, he died of cancer before they could be executed.    

Fred Brouard was an artist possessed of great originality, and enjoyed a long successful career as a sculptor and designer, participating in numerous prestigious shows,  and creating pieces for many private collections.