Edgar Chahine ( hy, Էդգար Պետրոսի Շահին: 31 October 1874, in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

– 18 March 1947, in

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 ...

) was a French painter, engraver, and illustrator of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

n descent.

Biography

Edgar Chahine was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

but moved to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

at a very young age. There he began his studies under the financial support of his father who was the director of the

Ottoman Bank The Ottoman Bank ( tr, Osmanlı Bankası), known from 1863 to 1925 as the Imperial Ottoman Bank (french: Banque Impériale Ottomane, ota, بانق عثمانی شاهانه) and correspondingly referred to by its French acronym BIO, was a bank ...

. His artistic abilities were soon noticed by his professor, Melkon Tiratzuyan, who advised him to pursue his studies in Italy in order to participate in a more active artistic environment. He then moved to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, where he attended the prestigious

n Lyceum Moorat Raphael. He studied under Antonio Ermolao Paoletti at the renowned Academia di Belle Arti. After gaining much experience in Italy, he then moved to Paris in 1895. He enrolled at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

, and had successful exhibitions at the

Society of French Artists A society is a Social group, group of individuals involved in persistent Social relation, social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same Politics, political authority an ...

. His first painting which was exhibited at the Paris Salon “Société des artistes français ” in 1896, was a portrait of a beggar. He continued to have exhibitions from 1896 to 1899. In these exhibitions, Chahine included his art series called "Lamentable Life" which features the tables of poor people. In 1900, his prints earned him a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in

. In 1903, he won another gold medal at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. Chahine often turned to Armenian themes and in 1926 was a founding member of “Ani”, the Union of French-Armenian Artists of Paris. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1925 and was awarded the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1932. Many of Chahine's prints were lost in a fire in his atelier in 1926, and many more were destroyed in a flood in 1942.

Legacy

In 1928 a museum in Crouttes–

Vimoutiers Vimoutiers () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. The finish line of the Paris–Camembert bicycle race is Vimoutiers. History In 1040 while besieging a nearby Norman castle, Alan III, Duke of Brittany died suddenly ...

in the

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Biography by Bernard Derroitte

Armstrong Fine Art: overview of works by Edgar Chahine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chahine, Edgar Artists from Vienna Austrian people of Armenian descent 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists Ethnic Armenian painters Armenian illustrators Académie Julian alumni Académie Julian faculty École des Beaux-Arts alumni French people of Armenian descent 1874 births 1947 deaths Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni 20th-century Armenian artists 19th-century French male artists