Vuillard Edouard

Jean-Édouard Vuillard was a French painter, draughtsman, printmaker and illustrator, born in Cuiseaux in 1868 and died in La Baule in 1940. He was trained at the Académie Julian and later at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Co-founder of the artists’ group Les Nabis, which from 1889 onwards focused on symbolism and decorative art. Created figure scenes, interiors, portraits, still lifes, intimate domestic scenes, murals and theatre sets. His early work is characterised by soft, atmospheric depictions of domestic interiors, often featuring his mother as a model. After 1900, his style evolved into a more realistic approach with vivid colours. In the 1920s and 1930s, he painted portraits of prominent cultural and industrial figures in familiar settings. Spent regular periods at the château of his patron Jos Hessel in Les Clayes, a major source of inspiration. Elected member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1938. In early June 1940, he became ill during the German advance and was brought by his friends Lucy and Jos Hessel to La Baule, where he died shortly afterwards. He was buried in the Batignolles Cemetery in Paris. (BT)