Georges d'Espagnat

La lecture au jardin (Lesson in the Garden)

Circa 1898

Georges d’Espagnat was born in 1870 in Melun, France. He was a painter, muralist, illustrator and theater designer. His family moved to Paris in the 1880s and at the age of 18 he declined the academic training of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and chose instead to independently study the works of the Old Masters in the Louvre and attend classes at the free academy. In 1891 d’Espagnat began exhibiting at the Salon des Refusees and in the following year exhibited four paintings at the Salon des Independants. He later exhibited at the Salon of the Societe Nationale as well. Although associated with many of the greatest names in 20th century art, and though his work has at various times been identified as Fauve, Nabis or Impressionist, he retained his own individuality. He was influential in the art circles of his time with the likes of Matisse, Gauguin, Picasso, Pissarro and Chagall. d’Espagnat also became closely acquainted with many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists including Renoir, Vuillard, Andre, Bonnard and Denis. In 1895 he had his first solo show in Paris and three years later a show at Durand-Ruel Gallery. He was part of a group exhibition in 1907 at the Marcel Bernheim Gallery along with Bonnard, Cezanne, Matisse, Pissarro, Rouault, Suerat and Toulouse-Lautrec while in 1926 his works were a part of another exhibition at the same gallery along with Andre, Bonnard, Braque, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso and Signac. In 1903 d’Espagnat was one of the founding members of the Salon d’Automne and, a year later, became the vice president. In 1906 he collaborated on the illustrations for Remy de Gourmont’s Sixtine, and later worked with Alphonse Daudet on his book, L’Immortel. Traveling extensively throughout his lifetime, D’Espagnat visited Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Morocco and Spain. His work can be found in many museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Musee Royal des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute, Chicago; the Pushkin Museum, Moscow and the Musee d’Orsay.