Born in Orbec in the Calvados region of France, Raymond Bigot (1892 - 1953) was attached to woodwork from an early age. His designer-sculptor training, alongside his apprenticeship to a local cabinetmaker, reinforced throughout his life an intrinsic connection towards the wooden material.
Bigot travelled to Paris to pursue courses at the ‘École des Arts Décoratifs’ and afterwards worked as a labourer for a few years, however, he came back to his native Normandy, where he settled in his villa « La Hulotte » in Honfleur. At the time, the city alongside Le Havre was a major port for the importation of exotic woods; it was here where Bigot purchased his raw material.
Whilst lots of his contemporaries drew inspiration from their worldwide travels, Bigot loved to represent the local wildlife around him. Under his mallet, exquisite rosewood and other exotic woods gave life to tawny owls, turkeys and farmyard animals.
A sculptor but also a talented painter, his watercolour works reproduce the depth and the lightness of the feathers of his favourite subjects, complimented by a subtle and elegant influence of ‘Japonism’.
Over the course of his career, his work was presented in numerous exhibitions, most notably in Paris with the Animalier Artists. Bigot’s work has also been showcased in Barcelona, San Francisco and in various salons such as the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Tuileries.
His participation in the 1925 Exhibition with his impressive Cortège de Dindons - now in the Museum of Le Havre – awarded him with the Exhibition Grand Prize.
Some of his artworks were bought by the State and are now in National Museums, others are held in numerous private collections, many of which are very prestigious.
Bigot travelled to Paris to pursue courses at the ‘École des Arts Décoratifs’ and afterwards worked as a labourer for a few years, however, he came back to his native Normandy, where he settled in his villa « La Hulotte » in Honfleur. At the time, the city alongside Le Havre was a major port for the importation of exotic woods; it was here where Bigot purchased his raw material.
Whilst lots of his contemporaries drew inspiration from their worldwide travels, Bigot loved to represent the local wildlife around him. Under his mallet, exquisite rosewood and other exotic woods gave life to tawny owls, turkeys and farmyard animals.
A sculptor but also a talented painter, his watercolour works reproduce the depth and the lightness of the feathers of his favourite subjects, complimented by a subtle and elegant influence of ‘Japonism’.
Over the course of his career, his work was presented in numerous exhibitions, most notably in Paris with the Animalier Artists. Bigot’s work has also been showcased in Barcelona, San Francisco and in various salons such as the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Tuileries.
His participation in the 1925 Exhibition with his impressive Cortège de Dindons - now in the Museum of Le Havre – awarded him with the Exhibition Grand Prize.
Some of his artworks were bought by the State and are now in National Museums, others are held in numerous private collections, many of which are very prestigious.