An Italian born in Paris, Emile Gilioli was one of the pre-eminent sculptors of the post-war Ecole de Paris. This magnificent work Paquier” is among the artist’s most famous works; it has been extensively exhibited and documented.

It was originally inspired by a curious Roman chapel dating from the 10th century in the town of Paquier in the Dauphine region at the foot of the Alps. Gilioli was entranced by the building and would spend hours contemplating the irregular lines and asymmetrical forms. He considered the beauty of the perpetually shifting proportions and volumes to encapsulate an eternal rhythm. “Sculpture for me is about the rhythm of space and time. Space is an essential absence.”

For Gilioli, the ch...