Henri Charles Guérard (26 April 1846, Paris - 24 March 1897, Paris) was a French painter and printmaker, particularly in etching and lithography.
Biography
He began his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, majoring in architecture, but slowly turned his attention to painting and engraving. In 1870, he became a student of Nicolas Berthon [fr].
The year 1873 saw the first issue of Paris à l'eau-forte [fr], a weekly magazine of current affairs and amusements, founded by the writer Richard Lesclide [fr]. Guérard and Paul Gachet were in charge of the illustrations. During this time, he frequented the salon of Nina de Callias and became a friend of Édouard Manet. Later, together with the actress, Ellen Andrée, he posed for one of Manet's paintings; "At the Café".
In 1879, he married Eva Gonzalès, one of Manet's students and models. They moved to a farm near Honfleur, where they hosted several well known painters, including Paul Cézanne and Norbert Goeneutte, who became a close friend. Two years later, he illustrated Les Caravanes de Scaramouche, by his father-in-law, Emmanuel Gonzalès.
Eva died in 1883, while giving birth to their son, Jean Raymond, who would become a theatrical painter. His friend, Manet, died less than two weeks later, leaving him too depressed to work for a long period. He remarried in 1888, to his sister-in-law, Jeanne Gonzalès [fr], who was also a painter.
During this period, he provided illustrations for L'Art Japonais of Louis Gonse, published by Albert Quantin [fr]. Shortly after, he created his own Japonisme, an album of ten etchings, published by Edmond Sagot [fr]. In 1889, together with Félix Bracquemond, he created the Société des peintres-graveurs français [fr], which held exhibits at the Durand-Ruel Gallery. He was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor in 1893.
He was an avid collector (what might now be called a "hoarder") of everything from old shoes to lanterns. Many of his etchings are of odd objects and earned him a title: "The Engraver of Curiosities".
Selected works
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The Garotte
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Self-portrait at Work
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Portrait of
Édouard Manet -
Solomon and Cleopatra
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Elephant and Clown
References
- Archives de Paris, acte de décès n°358 dressé le 26/03/1897, vue 18 / 31
- Notice par Laurent Monoeuvre, Gonzalès-Guérard Eva et Gonzalès-Guérard Jeanne (en ligne sur le site culture.gouv.fr.
- Base Léonore, cote LH/1218/14.
Further reading
- C. Bertin, Henri Guérard, l'œuvre gravé, catalogue raisonnée in 3 volumes, Paris, l'École du Louvre, 1975
- "Henri Guérard, peintre graveur", in: Nouvelles de l'estampe, #31, January–February 1977
- Marie-Caroline Sainsaulieu, Henri Guérard (1846-1897), exhibition catalogue, Paris, Galerie Antoine Laurentin, 1999, ISBN 978-2-911191-15-2
- Monique Moulène, "Henri Guérard, la fantaisie comme esthétique", in: Le blog de Gallica, 8 February 2017. (Online)
External links
- "Henri-Charles Guérard's Curiosity" by Madeleine Viljoen @ the New York Public Library
- More works by Guérard @ Artnet