The Académie Vitti was an art school in Paris, France. It was founded and operated by a family of Italian artists' models from the

Valle di Comino The Valle di Comino () is a valley in the province of Frosinone, in Lazio in central Italy. It runs from San Biagio Saracinisco to Vicalvi and is adjacent to the Abruzzi mountains. It grossly corresponds to the upper valley of the Melfa river, w ...

to the south of Rome. The academy was progressive in its support for women artists, and gained a high reputation. Teachers included

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

and

Frederick William MacMonnies Frederick William MacMonnies (September 28, 1863 – March 22, 1937) was the best known expatriate American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school, as successful and lauded in France as he was in the United States. He was also a highly accomplishe ...

History

The Académie Vitti, a private art school at 49,

boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris. Situation The boulevard joins the place Léon Paul Fargue and place Camille Jullian. The Tour Montparnasse and plac ...

, Paris was founded in 1889 by Cesare Vitti, his wife Maria Caira, and her sisters Anna Caira and Jacinta Caira. Cesare Vitti came from Casalvieri, a village in the

close to Atina in the mountains south of Rome. He began as an artist's model, then became a painter and sculptor himself. The three Caira sisters, their cousin Carmela and their brother Antonio came from nearby

Gallinaro Gallinaro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian Lazio region. It is about east of Rome and about east of Frosinone. Geography Gallinaro is located in the Comino Valley and is crossed by Rio Mollo, a tributary ...

. They moved to Paris and worked as models for painters, sculptors and photographers.

Antonio Caira posed as a blacksmith for the French 100 franc banknote drawn by Luc-Olivier Merson (1846–1920). Maria Caira was in great demand as a model due to her "perfect" body. She posed for the American

(1863–1937) for his sculpture of Diana the Huntress. Carmela Caira posed for James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903),

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

(1869–1954), Émile Bernard (1868–1941) and Alice Pike Barney (1857–1931). The Académie Vitti was one of the first to accept female students, and to allow women to sketch nude male models. It became highly respected. The Caira-Vitti family returned to Italy just before the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–18), taking many works and memorabilia from the academy.

Museum

Cesare Erario, a descendant of the family, inherited the house that the family occupied in Atina after their return. He found the collection of objects from the academy in the attic, researched the academy, and in 2013 opened the house as a museum to exhibit the collection. The display includes some paintings, many sketches in charcoal, chalk and pencil, including some of Jacinta Caira's paintings and drawings. It also includes many costume photographs and postcards by photographers such as

Nadar Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), known by the pseudonym Nadar, was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloon (aircraft), balloonist, and proponent of Aircraft#Heavier-than-air – aerodynes, h ...

. Photographs of the family and the academy give a view of life in private art schools of the period.

Teachers

Teachers included

(1848–1903), Luc-Olivier Merson, Frederick MacMonnies,

Jacques-Émile Blanche Jacques-Émile Blanche (; 1 January 1861 – 30 September 1942) was a French artist, largely self-taught, who became a successful portrait painter, working in London and Paris. Early life Blanche was born in Paris. His father, whose name he s ...

(1861–1942) and

Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa (1871–1959), known in Catalan as Hermenegild (or Hermen) Anglada Camarasa, was a Catalan and Balearic Spanish painter. Life and career Born in Barcelona, he studied there at the Llotja School. His early work had ...

(1871–1959). In March 1903 Walter Sickert (1860–1942) began teaching again in Paris, probably at the Académie Vitti with Blanche and Lucien Simon (1861–1945).

Kees van Dongen Cornelis Theodorus Maria "Kees" van Dongen (26 January 1877 – 28 May 1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauvism, Fauves. Van Dongen's early work was influenced by the Hague School and symbolism and it evolved gradually ...

(1877–1968) influenced many of his female students at the academy with an interest in

fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

. He showed artists such as

Tyko Sallinen Tyko Konstantin Sallinen (March 14, 1879 in Nurmes – September 18, 1955 in Helsinki) was a Finnish expressionism style painter. In late 1916 Sallinen became a founder member of the November Group, which was a Finnish group of expressionists and ...

(1879–1955) and

Ragnhild Kaarbø Ragnhild Kaarbø (26 December 1889 – 20 August 1949) was a Norwegian painter. Personal life She was born at Harstad in Troms, Norway. She was one of thirteen children born to Rikard Kaarbø and Anna Elisabeth Lund. Her father was a succes ...

(1889–1949) a direction that would lead to Nordic

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. Other teachers at the academy were

Paul Gervais Paul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervais (26 September 1816 – 10 February 1879) was a French palaeontologist and entomologist. Biography Gervais was born in Paris, where he obtained the diplomas of doctor of science and of medicine ...

(1859–1934) and, as an assistant,

María Blanchard María Blanchard (born María Gutiérrez-Cueto y Blanchard;
spanish-art.org; accessed 4 August 2015. ...

(1871–1959). Maria Blanchard studied at the academy under Kees van Dongen and Hermén Anglada Camarasa.

Students

The Académie Vitti attracted art students from many countries, including: *

Konstanty Brandel Konstanty Brandel (1880–1970) was a Polish painter and graphic artist. He is a notable contributor to the Young Poland movement. He studied at the Académie Vitti The Académie Vitti was an art school in Paris, France. It was founded and oper ...

(1880–1970), Poland * Colin Campbell Cooper (1856–1937), US *

Alson S. Clark Alson Skinner Clark (March 25, 1876 – March 23, 1949) was an American Impressionist painter best remembered for his landscapes. He was also a photographer, '' plein aire'' painter, art educator and muralist. Early life and education On ...

(1876–1949) *

Mabel Conkling Mabel Harris Conkling (November 17, 1871 – October 11, 1966) was an American sculptor, and president of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors from 1926 to 1928. Early life Mabel Viola Harris was born in Boothbay, Maine, the d ...

(1871–1966), US *

Charles Ginner Charles Isaac Ginner (4 March 1878 – 6 January 1952) was a British painter of landscape and urban subjects. Born in the south of France at Cannes, of British parents, in 1910 he settled in London, where he was an associate of Spencer Gore a ...

(1878–1952), England * Aleksandr Golovin (1863–1930), Russia *

Abbott Fuller Graves Abbott Fuller Graves (1859–1936) was an American painter and illustrator who specialized in decorative open air garden paintings and floral still-lifes. His use of thick brushstrokes, bright colors, and natural light shows the influence of Euro ...

(1859–1936), US *

Pekka Halonen Pekka Halonen (23 September 1865 – 1 December 1933) was a painter of Finnish landscapes and people in the national romantic style. His favorite subjects were the Finnish landscape and its people which he depicted in his Realist style.Aimo Reita ...

(1865–1933), Finland *

Mary Riter Hamilton Mary Riter Hamilton (1867–1954) was a Canadian artist. In 1919, she painted the battlefields of France and Belgium, recording the aftermath of World War I. She has been dubbed "Canada’s First Woman Artist", although this is chronologically ...

(1873–1954), Canada *

Elizaveta Kruglikova Elizaveta Sergeyevna Kruglikova (Russian: Елизавета Сергеевна Кругликова; 31 January (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. 19 January) 1865 – 21 July 1941) was a Russian-Soviet painter, etcher, Silhouette, silhouetti ...

(1865–1941), Russia * Janet Scudder (1869–1940), US * David Shterenberg (1881–1948), Russia *

Ada Walter Shulz Ada Walter Shulz (October 21, 1870 – May 2, 1928) was an American painter, whose Impressionistic painting style primarily featured themes of mothers, children, and barnyard animals. Her paintings won awards at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1 ...

(1870–1928), US * Claire Shuttleworth (1867–1930), US * Enid Yandell (1869–1934), US * Louise Zaring (1872–1970), US

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT: 1894 establishments in France 1914 disestablishments in France Art schools in Paris