André-Joseph Allar
André-Joseph Allar was a French sculptor.
Biography
André-Joseph Allar was born in Toulon on 22 August 1845.He became a successful sculptor after training under Antoine Laurent Dantan and Pierre-Jules Cavelier. Allar is best known for his small-scale work and architectural designs with majority of his work situated at the local museum in Toulon, including 'Hercules finding his dead son'. His artworks on Hercules is evidently inspired by the Greek hero, but in particular, the stories that depict the character as a saviour. His architectural features include his works in the Palacio Legislativo Federal with Laurent Marqueste and in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Another one of his famous works is the statue of law displayed on the façade Palace of Justice, Rome.
In addition to his career as an artist, Allar joined the Legion of Honour as an officer in 1896 and the French Institute in 1905. He won various prizes but most notably the Prix de Rome in 1869 for his sculpture, and later became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts on 20 May 1905.
He died in Toulon on 11 April 1926. A street in Marseille has been named in his honor.