Et Toujours! Et Jamais!, Pierre Eugène Emile Hébert

Exhibition Label:
"Corpus," Apr-2012, Kris Ercums
Pierre Eugène Emile Hébert’s macabre bronze sculpture depicts a shrouded, skeletal figure who after rising from the grave has embraced a figure of a nude, young woman whose supple flesh provides a stark contrast to his gaunt, angular limbs. The poetic title of the sculpture can be translated as “Forever and ever!” or “Always! Never!” This enigmatic title invites a variety of interpretations on the transience
of life. The common title for this subject is “Death and the Maiden.” A more recent interpretation suggests that the sculpture is a meditation on the possibility of immortality. Another suggested by several of Hébert’s contemporaries is that the shrouded corpse is actually the young woman’s lover who has risen to claim her at the time of her own death.

Label Aug-2007:
This sculpture’s subject matter and the poetic title, which can be translated as "Forever and ever!" or "Always! Never!," can be linked to the Romantic fascination with medieval tales of death and love. This enigmatic title invites a variety of interpretations, including the idea that the sculpture is meant to emphasize the transience of life. The common title for this subject is “Death and the Maiden.” A more recent interpretation suggests that the sculpture is a meditation on the possibility of immortality. Yet another reading suggested by several of Hébert’s contemporaries is that the shrouded corpse is actually the young woman’s lover who has risen to claim her at the time of her own death.

Hébert made his debut at the age of eighteen at the Paris Salon (an annual exhibition) in France in 1846. Et Toujours! Et Jamais!, which is inscribed in the tombstone, was first shown at the Salon as a plaster model in 1859. Four years later he doubled the size, cast it in bronze, and exhibited it again, this time in the Salon of 1863.

Archive Label 2003:
Hébert made his debut at the age of eighteen at the Paris Salon (an annual exhibition) in France in 1846. Et Toujours! Et Jamais!, which is inscribed in the tombstone, was first shown at the Salon as a plaster model in 1859. Four years later he doubled the size, cast it in bronze, and exhibited it again, this time in the Salon of 1863.

The subject matter and the poetic title can be linked to the Romantic fascination with medieval tales of death and love. The enigmatic title invites a variety of interpretations, including the idea that the sculpture is meant to emphasize the transience of life. The common title for this subject is Death and the Maiden. A more recent interpretation suggests that the sculpture is a meditation on the possibility of immortality. Yet another reading suggested by several of Hébert’s contemporaries is that the shrouded corpse is actually the young woman’s lover who has risen to claim her at the time of her own death.

Archive Label 1999:
Hebért made his debut at the age of eighteen at an annual exhibition in France in 1859. Et Toujours! Et Jamais!, which is inscribed in the tombstone was first shown as a plaster cast. Four years later he doubled the size and cast it in bronze and exhibited it again, this time in the Salon of 1863.

The subject matter and the poetic title are linked to the revival of Romanticism in art and literature in the 1800s, depicting medieval tales of life, death and love. Romantic images often depict death in the act of snatching youth, usually young women in their prime.

Hebért's closest contemporaries offer another interpretation when they suggested that the shrouded corpse is actually the young woman's lover who has risen to claim her at the time of her own death. Whatever the interpretation, this statue is referred to as Death and the Maiden.