Germaine Richier. L'Ouragane, 1948-49. Patinated bronze, Height: 70 1/16 inches (178 cm). © 2019 Germaine Richier / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
Germaine Richier. L'Ouragane, 1948-49. Patinated bronze, Height: 70 1/16 inches (178 cm). © 2019 Germaine Richier / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
Germaine Richier L'Ouragane 1948-49 Patinated bronze Height: 70 1/16 inches (178 cm) Artwork © 2019 Germaine Richier / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Germaine Richier | L'Ouragane

L’Ouragane
1948-49
Patinated bronze
Height: 70 1/16 inches (178 cm)

Lévy Gorvy’s dedication to sculpture is celebrated in Booth F9 with L’Ouragane (1948–49), a bronze by Germaine Richier, whose relentless investigation into organic processes of growth and decay resulted in an oeuvre known for its raw surfaces, open armatures, and dynamic compositions. The pock-marked skin and inflated figure of L’Ouragane (Hurricane Woman) evokes suffering and survival. The feminine complement to her figure L’Orage (Storm Man), this sculpture has been interpreted as a response to the violence of World War II, but also to a transformational 1935 trip Richier took to see the ruins of Pompeii.