Auguste Renoir, Sculptor With Hired Hands: A Masterful Artistic Cooperation Overshadowed by Legal Issues and Copyright Infringement.

ABSTRACT

The coping with rheumatoid arthritis of the famous French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) is described in former publications. The heavily handicapped painter has in his last years created sculptures in cooperation with the sculptor Richard Guino (1890-1973). The extraordinary genesis of the sculptures through a masterful artistic cooperation, as well as the resulting legal issues and shameful copyright infringements, is reported. Renoir's decision to create sculptures with the help of Guido can be attributed to his remarkable artistic vision, vitality, optimistic nature, and strong will and is also a further testimonial of creative coping of an artist overcoming the physical handicap due to rheumatoid arthritis of his final years, so far not described in detail in the medical literature.