Henri Leon Greber was born in Beauvais, France, but lived most of his life in Paris. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and was a pupil of Antonin Mercie. He was successful as a sculptor of works for the collector and as a sculptor of monumental works both in France and in America. Some of Greber’s most important works can be found in Paris, where he produced a sculpture representing Industry for the façade of the Grand Palais.
Henri Leon Greber was born in Beauvais, France, but lived most of his life in Paris. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and was a pupil of Antonin Mercie. He was successful as a sculptor of works for the collector and as a sculptor of monumental works both in France and in America.
Some of Greber’s most important works can be found in Paris, where he produced a sculpture representing Industry for the façade of the Grand Palais. He also created a monumental sculpture celebrating his fellow sculptor, Emmanuel Fremiet, which depicted Fremiet modelling his iconic work, The Bear and Gladiator.
Henri Leon Greber’s Monument to Emmanuel Fremiet in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris
Greber’s sculptures are also housed in the collections of several French museums, including six works in the Musée D’Orsay. These include the dramatic Le Coup de Grisou, Narcisse, La Mère de l’artiste, à l’âge de 79 ans and the statuette of French sculptor Antonin Mercié.
Henri Leon Greber’s, Le Coup de Grisou at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris
In 1926, Henri’s son Jacques Greber, an architect, was commissioned to design the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. This project was financed by Jules Mastbaum and his wife Etta, following the gift of their extensive Rodin Collection to the city.
Considered the finest collection of sculpture by Rodin in America, the collection includes 245 sculptures collected by the theatre magnate Jules Mastbaum in the early 1920s. The museum is a great tribute to the Rodin Museum in Paris and includes a similar entranceway.
Entrance to the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, called the Meudon Gate, inspired by the entrance to the Musée Rodin in Paris
Greber was commissioned to produce a bust of Jules Mastbaum between 1927 and 1928 in conjunction with the construction of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. This marble version is currently in the museum, gifted by Jules’ wife, Etta Mastbaum.
A small edition of bronze versions cast by the Lamy foundry in Paris was later made from the original plaster in the 1930s. The piece here is one of such bronze casts made as part of this exclusive edition.
Henri Greber’s Jules Mastbaum in the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. A gift from his wife Etta Mastbaum in 1929
Chinese 
English