Chiparus, Master of Art Deco: Master of Art Deco

The bronze and ivory figurines of Romanian-born Demetre Chiparus (1886-1947), who settled in Paris in 1912, seem the embodiment of Art Deco style. His poised, svelte dancers and courting couples, with their grace and freedom of movement, transport the viewer into a world where time is suspended, lost innocence recaptured. Shayo, who owns a New York City art gallery, tapped France's national archives and tracked down the artist's widow, Julienne Chiparus St. Martin, to reconstruct the life of this extremely private sculptor. This marvelously illustrated volume, surely the fullest account of Chiparus's life and work to date, shows how he blended elements from Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the erotic Parisian music hall and media images of the independent 1920s ``new woman'' to create transcendent figures. Chiparus, who suffered a reversal of fortune during WW II, died in paralysis after a stroke. (Dec.)