Maurice Estève | Biography | | 1904 | Born 2nd May in Culan, in the Cher, the Centre region of France. | | 1913 | While visiting his parents in Paris he goes to the Louvre of his own volition. | | 1914-18 | Spends WWI in country with his grandparents. | | 1918 | Starts living in Paris. His father believes that the best future for his son is to learn a skilled trade, and so apprentices him, first to a typographer, then to a maker of modern furniture. With great difficulty Estève studies drawing at evening classes run by the City of Paris. | | 1923 | Runs textile design studio in Barcelona after violent rows with father about his chosen vocation. | | 1924 | Returns to Paris and attends the open studio at Colarossi Academy in Montparnasse, and spends time in Louvre studying the work of the Primitives. He develops a Passion for Cézanne, and meets Camille Richez, with whom he lives until her death in 1965. | | 1928 | He falls under the influence of surrealism. Especially Giorgio de Chirico, and gradually abandons working from life. | | 1929 | Takes part in the 'Salon des Surindépendants' and shows there regularly until 1938. Struggles to make a living, and paints when he has a little money. | | 1930 | Leaves his studio in his grandfather's home in rue de Fouarre, and rents a studio owned by the City of Paris, at Porte de Vanves. Has first one man show in November, at Galerie Yvangot in Paris, showing 26 paintings from the period 1928-1930. | | 1937 | On the advice of Braque, Gösta Olson, Director of the Svensk-Franska Konstgallerist in Stockholm, invites Estève to take part in an exhibition 'Peinture Française' in March, alongside Braque, Matisse, Picasso, Juan Gris and Léger. The Göteborg Konstmuseum buys 'La Femme au Bain de Pieds' (1933). He is also invited by Jacques Villon to the 22nd exhibition of the group ' Artistes de ce temps' at the Petit Palais in Paris, where the work of Lipchitz, Georg, Desnoyer and Adam is also shown. He assists in the execution of large murals by Robert and Sonia Delauney for the Railways and Aviation pavilions at the Paris International Exhibition. During the work a small exhibition is held in a disused garage, in honour of a visit by Henri Matisse, who notices Estève's canvases. | | 1938 | André Lhote picks out Estève's work in a review of a group exhibition at the Galerie l'Equipe. Also takes part in 'Paris 1938' at the S.V. Gallery in Prague, with Beaudin, Borès, Delauney, Léger, Lurçat, and Masson. | | 1939 | Moves to studio in rue Lepic, Montmartre, after being evicted from his studio for not paying the rent. Called up and goes to Brétigny. | | 1940 | Demobilised in Auch. | | 1941 | Meets Louis Carré, who buys several paintings from him. | | 1942 | Give exclusivity to Galerie Louis Carré. | | 1945 | Meets Henri Laurens | | 1946 | First meets Fernand Léger | | 1952 | Starts making colour lithographs with 'Jour de fête' at l'Atelier Clot, a technique that he continues to explore at l'Atelier Desjobert in 1954, and, from 1955, at lAtelier Fernand Moulot | | 1955 | Leaves Montmartre for a studio in VI ème arrondisement, not far from Odéon. Starts using one room at his childhood house in Culan as a studio. After his father's death he goes there to work each summer. | | 1956 | Editions Galanis produces first monograph, by Pierre Francastel. | | 1957 | Designs stained glass window for the church in Berlincourt, in the Swiss Jura. | | 1963 | Designs tapestries for I. Iynedjian, in Lausanne. | | 1965 | Awarded the 'Grand Prix National des Arts'. To avoid the award ceremony he leaves immediately for Culan. | | 1974 | Monograph by Joseph-Emile Muller is published by Editions Fernand Hazan, Paris, in the series 'Ateliers d'Aujord'hui' | | 1982 | Donates a large number of his works, and an association is set up to find a suitable home for them. | | 1983 | Marries Monique Prudhomme, whom he met in 1967 in Culan, in the craft workshop she set up. | | 1985 | The city of Bourges agrees to retore the Hôtel des Echevins and make it into the Estève Museum. | | 1986 | Issue of a French postage stamp showing a reproduction of 'Skibet' (1979). | | 1987 | Inauguration of Estève Museum. | | 1995 | Publication of catalogue raisonné. | | 2001 | Dies in Culan, 26th June. |
| Solo Exhibitions | | 1930 | Galerie Yvangot, Paris. | | 1948 | Galerie Louis Carré, Paris. | | 1955 | Galerie Galanis, Paris. | | 1956 | Retrospective, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. | | 1960 | Galerie Villand-Galanis, Paris. | | 1961 | Retrospective, Kunsthalle, Basel. Tours to Kunstverein, Düsseldorf, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, and Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo. | | 1965 | Neue Galerie, Zurich. | | 1973 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | Neue Galerie, Zurich. | | 1974 | Galerie Claue Bernard, Paris. | | 1977 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | 1978 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | 1981 | Touring show, Musée Cantini, Marseilles, Musée de l'Etat, Luxembourg, and Musée de Metz, Metz. | | 1982 | Galerie Monique Prudhomme, Culan. | | 1983 | Proposition pour une Rétrospective, Maison de la Culture, Bourges. Tours to Musée Bertrand, Châteauroux. | | 1984 | Tribute to Estève, Salon d'Autumne, Paris. | | 1986 | Retrospective, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Grand Palais, Paris. Toured Oslo and Tübiden. | | 1987 | Inaugeration of the Estève Museum, Hôtel des Echevins, Bourges. | | 1990 | Galerie Louis Carré, Paris. | | 1992 | FIAC with Galerie Louis Carré, Paris | | 1994 | Galerie Louis Carré, Paris. | | 1998 | Galerie Louis Carré, Paris. | | 2001 | Galarie Tendances, Paris. | | 2002 | FIAC with Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | 2003 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | Lés étapes de la Creation, Estève Museum, Bourges. | | 2005 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. | | Le Monotype, un forme de l'unique, Estève Mueum, Bourges. | | 2006 | Monotypes de Maurice Estève, 1963-1964, Galerie Daniel Gervis, Paris. | | Maurice Estève 1904-2001, Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings and Monotypes, The Redfern Gallery. London. |
| Group Exhibitions | | 1929 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1930 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1931 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1932 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1933 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1934 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1935 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1936 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | 1937 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | Peinture Française, Svenska-Franska Konstgalleriet, Stockholm. | | 1938 | Salon des Surindépendents. | | Galerie l'Equipe, Paris. | | Paris 1938, S.V. Gallery, Prague. | | 1943 | Galerie de France, Paris. | | 1945 | Galerie Louis Carré, Paris. | | 1946 | Stedelijik Museum, Amsterdam. | | 1947 | Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. |
| Collections | | Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. | | Musée des Beaux Arts, Liège, Belgium. | | National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. | | Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark. | | Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France. | | Musée Estève, Bourges, France. | | Musée Bertrand, Châteauroux, France. | | Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble, France. | | Musée d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France. | | Musée des Beaux-Arts, Le Havre, France. | | Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France. | | Musée Cantini, Marseille, France. | | Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Metz, France. | | Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France. | | Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France. | | Musée d'Art Moderne de la Villa de Paris, Paris, France. | | Musée-Fondation Françoise et Souza Desnoyer, Saint-Cyprien, France. | | Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano, Italy. | | Musée de Luxembourg, Luxembourg | | Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Luxembourg, Luxembourg. | | Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden, Norway. | | Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo, Norway. | | Göteborg Kunstmuseum, Sweden. | | Fondation Thyssen-Bornemisza, Lugano, Switzerland. | | Tate Galleries, London, United Kingdom. | | Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. | | The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, New York, USA. |
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