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Posted 2 years ago
rlwindle
(188 items)
Art Deco piece made from bronze and iron titled Exposition of Strength. Rare male nude in a classic art deco pose 17.5 inches in height, and 14 inches in width. The piece is not signed.
This could not be verified but the model is supposedly 1920's and 30's model Anthony "Tony" Sansone. The figure is built like him. Tony Sansone was and is called the first American Adonis. Much of Tony Sansone's enduring fame in bodybuilding history was the result of his success as a model. Sansone began modeling when he was still a teenager. He became a much sought-after model who posed for paintings, photographs, and sculpture. He was featured on many magazine covers, both American and European. He modeled for statues by James Earle Fraser ("Meriwether Lewis;" Fraser also designed the US buffalo nickel), Arthur Lee ("Rhythm" which was created over five years, 1925 - 1930), and Malvina Hoffman ("Nordic Type" and "Elemental Man"). Sansone published several photo books, including Modern Classics, Rhythm, Du-ets (sic ) with then unknown body builder Charles Atlas, and Nudleafs (a portfolio of 20 8X10 photographs). By 1936, he had sold over 15,000 copies of Modern Classics and Rhythm combined.
The base and the figure are bronze and the hoop is iron. I think it is a beautiful piece.
It is a beautiful piece i love it.