Study in bronze made in 1918 for the Monument de Wilbur Wright, in Le Mans, France, in memory of Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912). Paul Landowski, a Parisian of Polish ancestry was born on June 1, 1875 into a family of eminent doctors (his father and eldest brother) and musicians (his maternal grandfather, violinist and composer Henry Vieuxtemps and, in turn, his children, Marcel and Fransoise.)

Landowski learned sculpture in the atelier of the academician Barrias. In 1900 he received the Prix de Rome; at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in 1925 he was appointed Comandeur of the Légion d’ Honneur.

During his long career, Landowski served as Director of the French Academy in Rome, and Director of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. By 1961, when the eighty-five year old sculptor died, the monuments he created dominated major cities throughout the world. His atelier in Boulogne-sur-Seine outside Paris is now open to the public as the Musée-jardin Landowski.