Richard Guino (1880-1973)

“Femme Assise a La Toilette”

Richard Guino was born in Gerona Spain in 1880.  He attended Fine Arts class at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Barcelona.  IN 1908 Maillol discovered him at a group exhibit in Gerona.  He began to work with Maillol at his studio and collaborated int the develpment of the "Four Seasons".  He then worked with Maurice Denis on 2 bas reliefs for the new theatre at the Champs Elysees.   In 1913 he met with Vollard at the Druet Gallery in Paris, and Vollard, convinced of the great talent of Guino proposed him to Renoir as an assistant.  A veritable osmosis was created between the two and Renoir began to choose the subjects, the people their gestures, and Guino modeled and molded the clay  to create the sculptures.   Together they produced some 20-30 sculptures.  In 1918 Guino left the studio of Renoir and began to exhibit with Galerie Hebard in Paris where he had three exhibitions.

  For four years, Renoir and Guino lived together in Renoir’s home in Cagnes and Essoyes and discovered they had a collaboration that has been described as nothing short of miraculous.    If was is if by osmosis the old mater’s visions flew through the air and lodged themselves in the brain, and heart, and most importantly the hands of the young Spanish genius.    The resultant works are a marvelous bi-product of a collaboration perhaps unparalleled in the history of art.

The two dimensional works of Pierre Auguste Renoir are among the best known and best loved works in all art history.    In museums or in coffee table art books much of the world is familiar with the sensual colors and forms of his paintings, drawings and lithographs and Sculptures.