Pierre Roche

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Pierre Roche (August 2, 1855 - January 18, 1922), pseudonym of Fernand Massignon, was a French sculptor and medallist, and father to Louis Massignon.

Roche was born in Paris, where he first studied medicine and chemistry, but then switched to studying painting at the Académie Julian 1873-1878 under Alfred Roll, and exhibited at the Paris Salon 1884-1889.

In 1888 Roche tried sculpture to compete for a monument to Danton, leading to encouragement by Jules Dalou. He went on to produce a number of fountain figures, including April (1893, 1906) in the Musée Galliera gardens and Hercules Diverting the River Alpheus (1900) in the Jardin du Luxembourg. His works are collected in the Musée d'Orsay, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Courtauld Institute of Art, and Harvard University Art Museums.

[edit] References

• Léandre Vaillat, Pierre Roche, 1855-1922, J. Charpentier, 1923.
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