Émile-César-Victor Perrin was a French painter, mainly known as a theatre director and impresario, born in Rouen on 9 January 1814, died 8 October 1885.Dean W. ''Bizet.'' London, JM Dent & Sons, 1978. His son-in-law was Camille du Locle.

Biography

Perrin studied under

Gros Gros may refer to: People *Gros (surname) * Gross (surname), the German variant of Gros * Le Gros, the Norman variant of Gros Other uses * Gros (coinage), a type of 13th-century silver coinage of France * Gros (grape), another name for Elbling, ...

and Delaroche, and pursued a career as a

history painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

, exhibiting at the Salon. In between his appointments at the Opéra-Comique he briefly returned to painting.Walsh T J. ''Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique Paris 1851-1870.'' John Calder, London, 1981. He was director of the Opéra-Comique from May 1848 to November 1857, then briefly in 1862, when he 'discovered' Galli-Marié singing in Rouen.Curtiss M. ''Bizet and his world.'' New York, Vienna House, 1974. From July 1854 to September 1855 he was concurrently director of the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opér ...

, and during his short tenure the artistic and social standing of the theatre rose, although he resigned, disappointed with the results at the theatre. Wagner described him around this time as "a well-to-do bel esprit and painter". He became director of the

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

in December 1862. During this time he employed

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become o ...

to play through scores submitted to the Opéra, although Perrin did not assist the composer in getting his work performed there.

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

in a letter described Perrin as "the most volatile, the most capricious, the most changeable of men". He was dismissed from the Opéra after being accused of insufficient patriotism in May 1870. In 1875, he was brought in to arbitrate in a dispute between Bizet and the directors of the Opéra-Comique over the preparations for '' Carmen'', despite the fact that he loathed the piece. He was administrator-general of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

from 1871 up to his death. In 1876 he became a member of the

Académie des beaux-arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

.Gourret J. ''Ces hommes qui ont fait l'Opéra''. Editions Albatros, Paris, 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrin, Emile 1814 births 1885 deaths Businesspeople from Rouen Opera managers Impresarios 19th-century French painters French male painters French theatre managers and producers Pupils of Antoine-Jean Gros Administrators of the Comédie-Française Directors of the Paris Opera Members of the Académie des beaux-arts 19th-century painters of historical subjects 19th-century French male artists Writers from Rouen