Paul Belmondo (sculptor)

Thanks to a grant from the government of Algeria, he continued his studies in Paris where he became the student, then the friend, of Charles Despiau and Jean Boucher.

In 1941 he participated in a "study tour" organized by Goebbels in Germany, in which French painters and sculptors visited German cultural sites and art workshops.

Before the war, he received many orders from the state, including the Palais de Chaillot with Leo-Ernest Drivier and Marcel Gimond.

Belmondo's work continues the neoclassical academic style, seeking harmonious forms with simple lines and smooth surfaces.

When Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's sculpture Dance was moved from the exterior of Opera Garnier, Belmondo made the replacement for the original location.

A retrospective exhibition of his work, entitled "The sculpture of serenity", was organized in several cities in France from 1997 at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture.

'Niches, alcoves, raised floors, openings, and contrived backdrops create multiples sight lines, discoveries and frames for the landscape,' said the architects.