Rembrandt Bugatti

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Rembrandt Bugatti (October 16, 1884 – January 8, 1916) was an Italian sculptor.

Rembrandt Bugatti

Born in Milan, into a notably artistic family, Rembrandt Bugatti was the second son of Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940) and his wife, Teresa Lorioli. He was given his first name by his uncle, the painter Giovanni Segantini. His father was a successful and important Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer who also worked in textiles, ceramics, and silver metalware. As such, Rembrandt Bugatti grew up in an environment where a great many of his parent's friends were from the artistic world. In 1902, the family moved to Paris, where they lived in a community of artisans.

As a child he hung around his father's workshop and was encouraged to try sculpting in plasticine or clay by the family friend and renowned Russian sculptor, Prince Paul Troubetzkoy (1866-1938). Rembrandt Bugatti was a young man when he began to work with the art foundry and gallery owner, Adrian Hébrard. He produced a number of bronzes which were successfully exhibited and promoted by Hébrard. Bugatti's love of nature led to him spending a great deal of time in the wildlife sanctuary near the Paris Jardin des Plantes or at the Antwerp Zoo where he studied the features and movement of exotic animals. His sculptures of animals such as elephants, panthers and lions became his most valuable and popular works. His brother was Ettore Bugatti who became one of the world's most famous automobile manufacturers. The silver elephant mascot that sits on top of the radiator of the Bugatti Royale was cast from one of Rembrandt's original sculptures.

Unfortunately, Rembrandt Bugatti suffered from mental health problems and he gradually slipped into a severe depression. In 1916, at the age of 31, he ended his own life by natural gas. He is interred in the Bugatti family plot at the municipal cemetery in Dorlisheim in the Bas-Rhin département of the Alsace region of France.

His art works are highly prized and are now also highly priced. A cast of his 1909-1910 bronze, Babouin Sacré Hamadryas (Sacred Hamadryas Baboon), was auctioned at Sotheby's for $2.56 million^[1].