Evolution

In Emma de Sigaldi’s work, it is the material itself, in all its figurative power, that is sought. That creative tension is always masked by a deftness of composition and execution. The spectator’s eye is ever drawn by the rhythms, spaces, and plastic inventions that characterise her pieces. This particular sculpture, a fine example of direct carving in white marble, was first installed in the gardens of the Hall du Centenaire (destroyed in the late eighties), before being moved to a new home at the Villa Sauber.

Emma de Sigaldi, born Emma Lackner in Karlsruhe (Germany) on 22 December 1910, was a Monegasque artist. She first devoted herself to dance in her home town and later in Dresden, with the illustrious Mary Wigman. Appointed as a senior dancer at the Munich Opera, she then went on to open a dance school in Wiesbaden. She trained in sculpture through contact with the Bauhaus masters, and later continued to teach herself.
In 1954, she married Count de Sigaldi, the Captain of the Palace Guards, and moved to Monaco. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1960. In her studio, she focused primarily on figures sculpted in line with an expressionist view, such as Le Plongeur Olympique at the Rainier III Outdoor Swimming Stadium (1961). Already, however, the terracotta La Mère, sculpted the same year, heralded what would become the artist’s new approach to her work. Beginning in the 1970s, Sigaldi produced marble sculptures in natural shapes, which reflected the influence of Arp and Moore.
In 1983, a retrospective under the high patronage of Prince Rainier III traced the progression of 25 of the Monegasque artist’s sculptures. Many of her works can be found in public and private collections in Monaco and throughout the world. Emma de Sigaldi died in Monaco on 23 October 2010.