Fano Messan

Fano Messan (18 February 1902 – 11 February 1998) was a French actress, sculptor, painter and model known for their collaboration with artists such as Luís Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, Kees Van Dongen and for her participation in the Parisian cultural scene of late 20's. She is also famous for her androgyny. Biography Fano was born in Tarbes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France, in 1902. By the age of 16 she left the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Toulouse (known from 2011 onwards as the isdaT – institut supérieur des arts et du design de Toulouse) to try her luck as a sculptor in Paris. Women were not welcome at the sculpture workshops so she did her apprenticeship by pretending to be a man, especially in the studio of Jan Martel. Messan quickly became a familiar figure throughout the nude schools, art galleries and bohemian bistros of Paris. Dressed as a man, with a very short haircut and a striking beauty, Fano honed her sculpture skills while leaving a mark on the works of the greatest artists of Montparnasse. In 1924 she was invited to exhibit her sculptures in Chicago, United States. The Chicago Tribune journalist, Lorimer Hammond, even wrote an article entitled "The Latin Quarter has fun trying to determine the sex of Fano Messan", in which it announces the sculptor's exhibition. The next year she showed her work at the Salon d’Automne, held on the Grand Palais. One of the most famous images of Messan was taken during that exhibition: Fano, in suit and tie, poses next to one of her "l'Androgyne" sculptures. In the independent newspaper Le Réveil du Nord she is presented as "the youngest sculptor in the world". Fano Messan's works are imbued with sensitivity without artifice, with simple and harmonious lines. She also tames wood, stone, ivory or glass to bring her favorite subjects to life. The decorations for the Grand Cercle Casino of Aix-les-Bains and the frieze of "La danse" which used to adorn the wall of the Bal Tabarin, nudes like "l'Androgyne" series presented at the Salon of 1925, animals or figures such as those of Valéry Larbaud or Kees van Dongen who painted her portrait ("Le garçonne, Fano Messan") in exchange for the bust that she made of him in 1929, the year of his French naturalization. This portrait (which remained with Messan's family at least until 2008) shows a fragile and determined Fano, her gaze deep and distant, the slightly ajar bright red mouth defying time.