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Le Land of art and history in partnership with Friends of Old Auch had proposed a conference in 2014, in order to review his career.
A Gascon childhood
André Tauziède was born on the last day of 1916 in Gascon soil. Very young, keeping the family flock, he had fun modeling clay, but it was not until 1956, when he moved to Auch, that he came out of anonymity. The City commissioned him various works including the two lions which adorn the access to the rue de la République, a Marianne for the office of the Mayor, as well as a replica of Michelet's d'Artagnan intended for the Campus of the University of Cincinnati (Ohio, USA).
A local child
André Tauziède was born in the small town of Bourrouillan in Bas Armagnac, not far from Nogaro. Very early on, those around him detected in him a gift for modeling and sculpture. This innate gift, André Tauziède could have perfected at the Fine Arts, as he was advised, but he preferred to keep his status of autodidact and thus preserve the purity of his authenticity.
Night sculptor
Worker by day, at the Lartigue and Dumas tile works, he became a sculptor in the evening “After work”. His sources of inspiration were varied: religious subjects (several churches, notably in the Lower River, have a Madonna and Child signed by the artist), subjects inspired by antiquity (Venus de Milo) or famous personalities like Françoise Sagan, without forgetting the inevitable captain of the Musketeers, D'Artagnan, which he declined in multiple formats and poses. This is how a d'Artagnan de Tauziède crossed the Atlantic in 1964 to reach Cincinnati!
Portraitist
But perhaps what he particularly liked was to sculpt in clay, and to immortalize the portraits of children brought to him by many families.
Among its more official clientele, the municipality of Auch has commissioned various works including two lions which still adorn the access to rue de la République, as well as a work intended for the Auch-Menningen twinning association ...
A sculptor worker
The notoriety of André Tauziède was recognized during an exhibition in Toulouse and then a little later by the Parisian critic. The written and spoken press strongly helped the sculptor to gain fame. Friendly nicknamed by a local journalist “The sculptor worker”, André Tauziède has always demonstrated great modesty by wanting to remain himself and by remaining attached to his dear Gascon land.
This land which provided him with his favorite subject:clay, although he also worked with other materials, including wood, which he also carved very beautifully. The artist claimed to be “from the old school, an admirer of Rodin”.
His last work
His last stroke of the spatula was to mark the bicentenary of Mozart's death by making the bust of this great musician. Shortly after this last achievement André Tauziède died on January 16, 1991.
