Alexandre OULINE (act.1918-1940) - Lot 338

Alexandre OULINE (act.1918-1940) Mermoz, sculpture, bronze on marble base, signed on back, +- 33 x 45 x 15 cm. Note: Jean Mermoz, born at the turn of the century (in 1901), made his mark on the history of civil aviation at a very early age: he obtained his pilot's license at the age of 20 and, in the ranks of the army, became famous for his bravery and exploits. In Syria, forced to land his plane in the middle of the desert, he had to walk alone for four days before being rescued by a troop of meharists. Yet Jean Mermoz had a hard time coping with military life. Recruited by Daurat, he joined Pierre Latécoère's Aéropostale in 1924. Jean Mermoz flourished in the air transport of mail, where his taste for adventure and aerial exploit could be freely expressed. Alongside such famous aviators as Henri Guillaumet and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Jean Mermoz piloted aircraft over ever greater distances: Toulouse-Barcelona, Casablanca-Dakar... Then came his first transatlantic exploit: Jean Mermoz flew from Toulouse to Saint-Louis du Sénégal in October 1927. An airline manager in Buenos Aires, he took crazy risks to counter the German competition and tried night flights. He was the first to cross the Andes, and became a hero both in Argentina and France when he completed the first Le Bourget-Buenos Aires flight in five days in 1933. He was made Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1934. He died in flight, flying the Croix du Sud off the coast of Africa in 1936 (Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor).