Pierre Jules Mène

Pierre Jules Mène (1810-1879) was a French sculptor and one of the pioneers of the animalier movement, which elevated animal subjects to serious fine art. Largely self-taught, he established his own foundry by 1837 and cast all his bronzes himself, giving him complete control over every stage of production. His specialty was horses, though he also modeled dogs, deer, hunting scenes, and domestic animals with equal skill.

Mène was the most commercially successful animalier of his era, producing over 150 different subjects and thousands of bronze casts. He was awarded the Cross of the Legion d'Honneur in 1861. His work sits in the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. Our collection includes 5 works at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cleveland Museum of Art.