A man wrote two years ago in August to ask about a crucifix he had bought with “dePaola” engraved on the side. He wondered if Tomie was the “dePaola.” Tomie’s reply, in its entirety: “In 1969, I spent some time in Paris with my wife (at the time) and her family. My wife’s father had a liturgical art studio, M. Cheret. It was quite well known, and is still going… http://www.cheret-aal.fr/en/ I was asked to create a crucifix, but because I am a two-dimensional artist, I prepared a large drawing, and a young woman sculptor, A. M. Roux, realized it in three dimensions. The crucifix was struck in bronze in several sizes with both of our names engraved on the side. I put ‘my symbol’ next to my name - a symbol that I use to this day. The symbol represents the tree that grows by living waters from Psalm 1. The Botolph Group in Boston, a gallery for contemporary liturgical art in the 1960s/early 1970s, imported the crucifix and it’s possible that your crucifix was purchased at Botolph. Or, it could have been purchased at M. Cheret at their original location on rue Saint-Sulpice, in Paris. I hope this helps. Thank you for sharing. Tomie dePaola
“I just looked more carefully at the crucifix on the Cheret website. After my wife and I divorced, my name was removed from the crucifix. It also appears as if the design has been changed a little.”
Tomie mentions looking at the crucifix on the website. The crucifix was there in 2018, but isn’t there now. I googled “cheret crucifix roux” and found images of it and a page from a past online catalog. During a visit to Paris, we walked by the shop, but Tomie was uncomfortable going inside. (Bob) Pray for Peace, Justice, and Equality
