Bocquel Family Foundry: Generations of Bronze Casting in Normandy

The Bocquel family foundry in Bréauté, Normandy, has been casting bronze sculptures for major artists since the 1960s. Founded by Régis Bocquel, who was inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace as a child, the foundry has worked with Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, César, Arman, and later artists like Stéphane Pencréac'h and Quentin Garel. Régis's son Gilles now leads the lost-wax casting department, while daughter Claire manages the business. The foundry produced César's twelve-meter Thumb at La Défense and the Centaur at Place Croix-Rouge in Paris. Arman once had Régis find a grand piano to be smashed for a sculpture. The family also transformed WWII bunkers in Fécamp into art spaces, with works by Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Dado, Erik Dietman, and Pencréac'h. A book on Pencréac'h's bunker was published by Liénart in 2010.