Artist. Born in Thiverval-Grignon, Yvelines, France . Albert  began his career as a painter, studying briefly at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Wanting to prepare a monument to his dead wife, he turned to sculpture in 1886. Though he had no formal training, he made a careful study of nature and of the masterpieces of the past. His reputation was established with Monument to the Dead (1895) in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. This success led to commissions for a number of funerary monuments. Died in Paris. (bio by: Shock)