The title Monet conjures up photos of water lilies, Rouen Cathedral, the Homes of Parliament and French haystacks, a few of European artwork’s greatest recognized works.
Now a Paris exhibition will give attention to one other, lesser recognized, Monet: Léon Monet, the artist Claude Monet’s lengthy neglected elder brother who supported him when he was poor and struggling to make his title.
Will probably be the primary time an occasion – which additionally consists of beforehand unseen works and sketches by the painter referred to as the ‘father of impressionism’ – has targeted on the elder sibling.
Léon Monet, a chemist and industrialist, has been largely ignored by posterity however was one of many first patrons of the blossoming impressionist motion within the nineteenth century. He not solely supported his brother but in addition helped his painter mates together with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley.
Géraldine Lefebvre, curator of the brand new exhibition that opens subsequent month on the Musée du Luxembourg, stated little or no was recognized about him.
“I contacted the household, Monet’s descendants, and went via private and non-private archives however there was little or no info,” Lefebvre stated. “I noticed his title right here and there however not a lot else. It actually piqued my curiosity.”
Digging deeper, the curator found that Léon, like his brother, had been captivated with color, and had been a key determine serving to Claude financially by shopping for his work and introducing him to the wealthy industrialists who may help him.
Léon was born in 1836, 4 years earlier than Claude, the oldest son of Adolphe and Louise-Justine Monet, and each boys spent their early years in Paris earlier than the household moved to Le Havre, Normandy, a while round 1845. He studied as a chemist and specialised within the then new subject of artificial dyes and pigments used to color materials. After transferring to Rouen as a gross sales consultant for a Swiss-based manufacturing unit producing Indian-style materials, he was one of many founder members of the Rouen Industrial Society established in 1872.
“It was attention-grabbing to see Léon was within the chemistry facet of pigments and dyes whereas Claude was curiosity within the creative use of color,” Lefebvre stated. “Léon was aware of the significance of his brother’s work and supported him when he was poor and will hardly afford to eat.”
Léon started gathering artwork – primarily impressionist works – instantly from the struggling artists he met via his brother and inspired them to participate in native exhibitions for larger publicity.
His patronage of what turned referred to as the Rouen Faculty painters inspired others to purchase works from the nascent radical artwork motion formally launched in 1874 with a present in Paris made up of works rejected by the influential Académie des Beaux-Arts’ Salon – the then arbiters of creative style. Its title got here from an insult flung by the journalist and playwright Louis Leroy who sarcastically described Monet’s portray Impression, Sunrise as worse than sketches for wallpaper. Léroy coined the phrase ‘impressionist’, which caught.
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Though all correspondence between the brothers has disappeared, Lefebvre stated Claude’s letters to his spouse recommend Léon had a “vigorous and fast intelligence” and was “cordial and frank”. The brothers nonetheless fell out earlier than Léon died in 1917, partly after Claude’s son Jean labored for Léon his Rouen manufacturing unit.
The Musée du Luxembourg is devoting three months to showcasing the little-known Monet and his impressionist assortment. Satisfaction of place will go to a portrait of Léon by no means seen earlier than in public that Claude painted in 1874, exhibiting him in a bowler-style hat and sombre black go well with. Two of Claude’s first sketch books – one among which was began when he was simply 15 years outdated – that Léon purchased at public sale and his brother later signed, additionally unseen till now, may also be on show.
The exhibition may also function 20 works by Claude Monet and others by Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and Berthe Morisot – doyenne and co-founder of the impressionist motion – in addition to work by lesser-known artists of the Rouen Faculty, together with cloth samples and color swatches from the elder Monet’s work. Extra private reveals will embody drawings and pictures of the Monet brothers and household.
“That is an uncommon exhibition. Léon Monet’s assortment was not very massive – there are solely about 60 works – however the high quality is extraordinary and plenty of are nonetheless in personal collections and have by no means been seen by the general public,” Lefebvre added.
Léon Monet, artist’s brother and collector opens on the Luxembourg Museum on 15 March and runs till 16 July.
