Nestor Cambier (1879–1957) was a Belgian artist and draftsman whose portraits were compared favourably with those of

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

but who now is largely forgotten. He also painted landscapes, city and interior views, still-lives, murals and stained glass, and also produced numerous pencil and chalk drawings. Cambier-1930

Early life and training

Cambier was born in Couillet (now part of

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

) in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He studied at the college of Ixelles,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

before entering the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where he studied portraiture under the masters

Joseph Stallaert Joseph Stallaert (19 March 1825, Merchtem - 24 November 1903, Ixelles) was a Belgian painter; best known for his scenes from antiquity. Life His parents were merchants and he was originally destined for a career in business. The person he was ...

and Gustave Vanaise until 1900. At age 21 he had already exhibited at the Brussels Salon, with a portrait of a young girl and a landscape.Reprint from the journal "Le Thyrse", Brussels, 1934. Copies of this document are scarce but a pdf replica of the original in French, or a pdf English translation are obtainable from Louis Calvete

Professional life

In 1903, Cambier exhibited at the Triennial Salon of Beaux Arts at

with pictures of a Brabançon innkeeper, a colourful Bazaar, a large tableau of the Cid and the Leper, and a study in pastels of

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

. He went to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(1906–1909), working first at Ascenzo's studios. He continued to paint portraits and in 1907 exhibited at the Academy of Fine Art in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, where he won the John Wanamaker prize. He designed large stained glass windows for the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Blankenberge Blankenberge (; french: Blankenberghe; vls, Blanknberge) is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke. On 1 December 2014, Bla ...

, Belgium, where he was almost trapped when Germany invaded Belgium at the start of the First World War, and which resulted in the loss of many of his canvasses. He then spent 19 years intermittently in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(1914–1933), and in 1915 and 1916 he donated some of his works for auction on behalf of the British Red Cross, reaching prices comparable with the best English painters. In 1923 he became a member of the

North British Academy of Arts The North British Academy of Arts (1908–1924) was an art institution of Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. Overview The Academy, later known as the North British Academy of Arts, Science, Literature, and Music, was located in the Clar ...

, and became a resident guest of Sir Henry and Lady Barber at Culham Court, near Henley,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. During this time, he painted numerous portraits of Lady Barber (1869–1932), and pictures of the interior of Culham Court and the surrounding countryside.

Posthumous fame

Following his death in Brussels in 1957, a retrospective show of Cambier's art was held in Brussels in 1967 at the Baron René Steens gallery. His works are allegedly displayed in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Rheims and

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

. Perhaps the largest collection of Cambier's paintings (25, plus numerous photographs and memorabilia) are held by The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, founded by Dame Martha Constance Hattie Barber (1869–1933) at Birmingham University, who married the solicitor and property developer, William Henry Barber, a highly successful businessman who made his fortune in the expanding suburbs of Birmingham. By the mid 1930s he and Lady Barber were able to retire to Culham Court, an 18th-century estate in Oxfordshire. Between 1914 and 1930, Cambier was a frequent visitor and resident there, where he painted landscapes of the estate and painted eighteen portraits commissioned by Lady Barber as presents for her husband. Lord Barber died in 1927, and Lady Barber founded the institute in 1932 to which all the paintings were transferred. Cambier's other paintings appear to be dispersed in private hands.

Honours

* 1924 : Knight of the Order of the Crown.

Gallery

File:Le Miroir.jpg, Le Miroir File:Lady Barber (1916) .jpg, Lady Barber(1916) File:Interieure.jpg, Intérieur File:L'enfant a l'orange.jpg, L'enfant à l'orange File:Maternite (Cambier).jpg, Maternité File:Louis (1924).JPG, Louis(1924) File:La Promenade (Cambier).jpg, La Promenade File:Napoleon a l'interieure de la bibliothèque de la Malmaison.jpg, Napoleon à l'interiéure de la bibliothèque de la Malmaison File:Salon, the Duke of Westminster's house.jpg, Salon, the Duke of Westminster's House (1930) File:Signature of the Artist.jpg, Signature of the Artist in charcoal

Catalogue

Dated works

Source:PCF (Public Catalogue Foundation) of Oil Paintings in Public Ownership, Birmingham Collections 2011 Paintings held by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts marked *

Undated pictures

Source: unless otherwise indicated , - , Grange de l'Abbaye Ter Doest a Lissewege, , 13.6" X 15.6", , Charcoal , - , L'Eglise a Landelies (Charleroi), , 15.4" x 13.8", , Crayon , - , Sans Titre (Femme aux Chaussures Roses), , 16.3" x 9.6", , Wash , - , Sans Titre (Paysage), , 13.8" x 15", , Pencil , - , Sans Titre (Interieur), , 11" x 13.2"), , Pencil , - , Vechmael (Limbourg), , 15.7" x 13.8", , Crayon , - , La salon de la Comtesse de Bousies à Bruxelles , , 23" x 29" , - , Vue de la Tamise à Londres , , , - , The choir of l'Eglise Sta-Croix at Ixelles , - , Silene drunk held by a faun and a bacchante , -

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Muse ...

, Illustrations of volumes by R. Bazin, Comte Carton de Wiart (Mes Vacances av Congo), Charcot. Original drawing on the fly leaf of a catalogue. ''Type Brugeois'', portrait sketch in colour pencil ca. 9 x 7 cm. Vivid portrait sketch made by the artist while visiting the

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

Salon of 1913–14, made on the fly-leave of the Salon Catalogue: Cercle Artistique Brugeois, XXXVIe Salon, in-8°, 21.5 x 11 cm, stapled, original stiff wrapper. Nestor Cambier was represented by 5 paintings. Of these 4 were marked in red by him with the remark that they were stolen by the Germans at Blankenberg.

Undated portraits

Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cambier, Nestor 1879 births 1957 deaths Artists from Charleroi 20th-century Belgian painters Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts alumni