Louis Vidal was
born in Nimes, France on December 6, 1831. He went by
the name Vidal Navatel. Early in life, Vidal was
stricken with an eye disease that would eventually cause
him to become totally blind. He was a student of
sculpting legend Antoine Louis Barye.
He began exhibiting his work in 1855 at the Exposition
Universelle. From 1859 until 1882, he exhibited at the
Salon. In 1888, he became the professor of modeling at
the Ecole Braille in Paris.
His blindness did not deter from his amazing talent. He
produced exceptional casts that are still highly valued
by art collectors today. There are very few of his
existing works.
Many of his works were signed Vidal Aveugle which means
“Vidal the Blind”. |