French sculptor Émile Gilioli crafted each piece to polished perfection. His smooth marble and bronze abstract sculptures feature reflective surfaces, graceful curves and sudden, sharp lines and angles. And while Gilioli was obsessed with refinement in his three-dimensional work, his abstract prints and watercolors reveal a looser, more expressive approach. No matter the chosen medium, his inner artist always shone through.
Gilioli was born in 1911 to a family of Italian shoemakers living in Paris. When he was three years old, his family moved back to Italy and settled in Mantua, where young Gilioli was eventually employed at the local forge. After World War I, his family moved back to France and Gilioli attended the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs and Beaux-Arts de Paris. He started working as a sculpture craftsman at 17 years old, and at 19, he joined the studio of Jean Boucher.
During World War II, Gilioli was stationed in Grenoble. There, he spent time at the Musée de Grenoble and was introduced to Cubism. Upon his return to Paris in 1945, he became one of the key figures in the city's burgeoning abstractionist movement. That same year, he held his first exhibition in Grenoble and also showed at two salons in Paris, in 1947 and ’49.
Gilioli eventually settled in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-la-Cluze, where he opened a sculpture atelier. Throughout the 1950s, he continued to pave the way for abstract sculpture in the country, frequently exhibiting with artists like Alicia Penalba, François Stahly and Étienne Martin. Throughout his long career, Gilioli designed many large sculptures for public spaces.
In 1997, to mark the 20-year anniversary of his death, the commune of Saint-Martin-de-la-Cluze purchased his workshop and home, turning the property into a museum to permanently display his creations.
Gilioli's sculptures and works on paper are held in museums in France and around the world, including the Musée de Grenoble, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
On 1stDibs, find Émile Gilioli prints, drawings, sculptures and more.
Emile Gilioli: "Architectural development of the circle", Steel sculpture C.1972
By Émile Gilioli
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Emile Gilioli ((1911-1977) : "Architectural development of the circle" Sculpture made of chromed steel Circa 1972 Signed : "Gilioli" Numbered by hand engraving : X/200 edition D...
Steel
Midcentury Sculpture Signed Émile Gilioli, Numbered 2/5, France, 1950s
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Brussels, BE
Midcentury Sculpture signed Émile Gilioli, numbered 2/5, France, 1950s.
Steel
$28,533
La Boisseloune
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Paris, FR
La Boisseloune Sculpture, 1955 Catalog : [Janou, Lassale N°146 p.162] H x W x D : 60.00 cm. x 42.00 cm. x 25.00 cm. 23.62 in. x 16.54 in. x 9.84 in. Handsigned by the artist Very good condition Painted and engraved stone Inspired by nature, particularly the aquatic world, Gilioli shapes and polishes La Boisseloune as the swell sculpts a pebble. The subtle interplay of curves and material highlights the motifs created by the artist. The engraved vegetation is reminiscent of that depicted in Egyptian enameled...
Stone
Émile Gilioli "La Boisselune" 1950s - Abstract Bronze Sculpture
By Émile Gilioli
Located in New York, NY
-"La Boisselune" by Émile Gilioli -Signed, dated and numbered on the back “Gilioli, 59, 1/6" -Manufacture: Cast from La Plaine -60 x 39 x 20cm -Provenance : Artist’s studio -Collect...
Bronze
1960s Astrale Sculpture by Emile Gilioli
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Paris, FR
Emile Gilioli (1911 - 1977) ‘‘Astrale’’, 1966 White marble, base in black laquered wood Sculpture : H. 63,5 x 29 x 39 cm / Base : H. 100 x 43 x 42,5 cm At the height of the 20th cen...
Marble
Midcentury Desk Sculpture of Dice in Bronze, 1950s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Small unusual desk sculpture with removable bronze dice. Despite its small size its very heavy. The dice may have been mounted as a hood ornament originally and then made in to a dec...
Bronze
Napoleon Bronze Sculpture Desk Inkwell, Signed Emile Pinedo
By Émile Pinedo
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Napoleon Bonaparte bronze desk inkwell, signed Pinedo with foundry mark. Mounted over a Green Alps marble. Antique signed 19th large bronze ...
Bronze
$213
H 5.12 in W 4.73 in D 3.23 in
Midcentury wooden anchor sculpture by Johnny Mattsson, Sweden, 1950s
By Johnny Mattsson
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Lovely small anchor sculpture by Johnny Mattsson, sculpted from teak. Aquatic themes are recurring in Johnny Mattsson’s artistry, sailing and the arc...
Teak
$550 / set
H 18 in W 3.75 in D 3.5 in
French Midcentury Ceramic Cat Figures, Iridescent Glaze, 1950s, France
Located in New York, NY
Pair of French midcentury stylized cat figures featuring an iridescent glaze.
Ceramic
Ceramic greyhound sculpture, 1960s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Gorgeous and naturally sculpted sculpture of a sitting greyhoudn made from cracklé ceramic and made in italy. Beautiful and elegant posture sitting on a cushion. Good condition 19...
Ceramic
$6,848
H 11.82 in W 5.91 in D 5.52 in
Emile Carlier, Bronze Sculpture of Sappho and her Lyre by the Sea, 19th Century
By Émile Nestor Joseph Carlier 1, Albinet & Coulon
Located in PARIS, FR
Superb and rare bronze sculpture by Émile Nestor Joseph Carlier (1849-1927) of the Archaic Greek poetess Sappho. This sculpture was smelted by the Albinet & Coulon foundry. It is...
Bronze
Abstract Marble Sculpture by Emile Gilioli
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Stamford, CT
This beautiful marble sculpture by Emile Gilioli is made of rose veined marble (white/pink). The sculpture is signed and dated on wooden base. "Emile Gilioli was born to a family on Italian shoemakers who had settled beside the Canal Saint-Martin. After the first World War, the family moved back towards Italy, settling in Nice. In 1932, Gilioli took courses at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs de Nice, notably with the future artist Marie Raymond. During the Second World War, Gilioli was mobilized in Grenoble where he passed the remainder of the conflict. He made the acquaintance of Andry Fracy, a conservationist at the Grenoble Musee des baux-arts and led him to discover cubism. After the war, Gilioli settled in Saint-Martin-de-La-Cluze near Grenoble, where he sculpted in his workshop. His art was associated in a certain way with the deeds of the French Renaissance. He became friendly with Thomas Gleb...
Marble, Bronze
$5,500
H 34.4 in W 24 in D 12 in
19 century French Birth of Pegasus spelter Sculpture After Emile Picault
Located in New York, NY
Patinated Spelter sculpture on oval marble base depicting the Birth of Pegasus after the original model by Emile Picault (1833-1922) exhibited at the Salon des Beaux Arts in Paris. ...
Marble, Spelter
Emile Pinedo Bronze Bust Sculpture of a Woman
By Émile Pinedo
Located in New York, NY
Emile Pinedo bronze bust sculpture of a woman.
Bronze
Abstract Head Sculpture by Pietro Cenedella, Italy, 1960s
Located in Brescia, Brescia
An extraordinary marble sculpture by Italian artist Pietro Cenedella, an abstract head-like form balancing between figuration and pure gesture. The piece is entirely carved from Carr...
Marble, Carrara Marble
$2,739
H 5.91 in W 6.7 in D 4.34 in
Abstract bronze sculpture by Swedish Sculptor Bengt Amundin, 1950s
Located in Hägersten, SE
Sculpture "Förvandlad Fågel" (Transformed bird) made by Swedish Sculptor Bengt Amundin during the 1950s. Made from cast and patinated bronze on original base from asymmetrical pine w...
Bronze
Unavailable|$2,450
H 10.5 in W 3.75 in D 3.75 in
Miniature Cast Bronze Grand Tour Architectural Sculpture of the Trajan Column
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This miniature cast bronze architectural model of the Trajan Column dates to the 19th century to commemorate one of the Grand Tours of Europ...
Bronze
$3,652
H 14.97 in W 11.82 in D 10.24 in
Monumental French Plaster Sculpture, 1950s — Organic Modernism
By René Collamarini, Émile Gilioli, Hans Arp, François Stahly
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
Exceptional mid-century plaster sculpture, crafted in France in the 1950s. This striking biomorphic form displays intersecting curves, carved recesses, and a dynamic sense of movemen...
Plaster
$10,240Sale Price|20% Off
H 34.5 in W 11.5 in D 11.5 in
French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Awakening of Nature” by Emile Picault
By Émile Louis Picault
Located in Shippensburg, PA
EMILE PICAULT French, 1833-1915 "Reveil de la Nature" (The Awakening of Nature) Sand-cast patinated bronze signed to naturalistic base "E. PICAULT" with the title of the work embo...
Bronze
Nerone Ceccarelli & Gianni Patuzzi Sculpture, 1972
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Astoria, NY
Nerone Ceccarelli (Italian, 1937-1996) and Gianni Patuzzi (Italian, 1905-1977) "NP2 Forme e Superici" Ebonized Walnut Sculpture, circa 1972. 41.75" H x 15.75" W x 8" D. Prove...
Walnut
French Mid-Century Modern Abstract Marble Sculpture signed Gilioli
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Vero Beach, FL
French Mid-Century Modern Abstract Marble Sculpture signed Gilioli Impressive Verde Antico Marble sculpture on a white Carrara marble base. The Verde Antico marble exhibits a unique...
Marble