Camille Soccorsi
Camille Soccorsi
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History
History
Camille Soccorsi was born in 1919 in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Ardèche, France. Soccorsi had an interest in art, specifically sculpting, from a young age--carving toys for himself out of wood. By age twelve, he had begun working with marble while continuing to train as a painter and sculptor.
Soccorsi eventually joined the navy, where he was captured in 1940 during World War II and held as a prisoner of war in Poland and Germany until 1945. Following his release, he worked on decorative carvings for churches, as well as statues of local poets, artists, and animals.
In 1949, he was commissioned by a showman to carve a group of carousel animals. The figures were so popular that he received a flood of orders from across France.
Soccorsi died in 2013 at 88 years old.
Camille Soccorsi (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
Identification
Identification
Soccorsi's carvings vary in style, with some being realistic while others are cartoonish. His works included traditional carousel animals such as rabbits and horses, alongside animated characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Bambi.
His carvings often feature a signature daisy carved into the design, though not always.
A Soccorsi rabbit (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi carving of Pluto (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
Close ups of Soccorsi's signature daisy, seen on the rabbit and Pluto carvings pictured left (Photos: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi deer (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi camel (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi horse (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi dancing pig (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
A Soccorsi carving of Puss in Boots (Photo: Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal Auction Catalogue).
Sources
Sources
Morgan, Brian. “More Than Just Bayol: French Carousels of the 'Belle Epoque' and Beyond.” The Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2013, pp. 4–28.
De Saint Cyr, Cornette. "Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal." September 2011.
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