ALEXANDRE KELETY

Biography

Alexandre Kelety (born November 16, 1893, in Budapest; died August 29, 1961, in Viroflay, France) was a Hungarian-born sculptor whose refined Art Deco works have become highly collectible. Active from 1918 through 1940, he worked across sculpture, painting, and engraving, and gained recognition for his elegant chryselephantine figures and expressive animal sculptures.

Kelety emigrated to France shortly after World War I. He first studied in Toulouse with Hungarian painter-engraver Imre Karoly Simay before continuing his training in Paris. He married Hélène Grün, daughter of Russian-born French painter Maurice Grün.

Artistic Style & Materials

Kelety’s work is marked by a graceful, stylized Art Deco aesthetic. His preferred materials included bronze, ivory, marble, and ceramics. His subjects ranged from charming childhood scenes to dynamic animals—both recurring themes in his oeuvre. He also produced chryselephantine statuettes featuring dancers, mythological characters, and other emblematic figures of the period.
Beyond sculpture, Kelety designed Art Deco everyday objects, including electric lamps, ashtrays, and incense burners.

Collaborations & Art Publishers

Many of Kelety’s finest bronze and bronze-and-ivory figures were produced by notable Parisian art editors of the era, including:

• Arthur Goldscheider

• Edmond Etling

• Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann

• M. Ollier (animal sculptures)

These collaborations place his work among the iconic decorative arts production of interwar Paris.

Exhibitions

Kelety was a regular participant in major Paris salons throughout the interwar years. His notable exhibitions include:

• 1925 – Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (works shown by Goldscheider and by Etling)

• 1926 – Salon de la Société Nationale (hippopotamuses)

• 1927 – Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, Paris (stag)

• 1928 – Société des Artistes Français (bronze and ivory figures)

• 1930 – Société des Artistes Français (bronze and ivory figures)

• 1933 – Salon des Tuileries, Paris

• 1937 – Exposition Universelle, Paris (sculptures produced by Etling, Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann, and animal figures by Ollier)
  
  

Later Activity

In 1939, Kelety advertised drawing classes from his studio at 20 rue Ernest Cresson, Paris, continuing to engage in the artistic life of the city even as his sculptural production slowed.