Gustave Geffroy (1 June 1855 – 4 April 1926) was a French journalist, art critic, historian and novelist. He was one of the ten founding members of the literary organisation

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Go ...

in 1900. Geffroy is noted as one of the first historians of the

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

art movement with his publication of ''Histoire de l'impressionnisme'' in 1892. He knew and championed

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

, whom he met in 1886 in Belle-Île-en-Mer while travelling for research on prisons of the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

. Monet introduced him to Cézanne, who painted his portrait in 1895. He contributed to the newspaper ''

La Justice ''La Justice'' was a weekly New England French newspaper published by the LaJustice Publishing Company of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 1904 until 1964, with issues printed biweekly during its final 6 years. Throughout its history the newspaper repo ...

'' from 15 January 1880, and came to know its founder,

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...

, who in 1908 appointed him director of the Gobelins tapestry factory, a position he held until his death. Geffroy was born and died in Paris; he is interred at the Cimetière de Montrouge. A street in Paris's 13th arrondissement, close to the

Gobelins Manufactory The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...

, bears his name.

Principal works

; Novels *''Le Cœur et l'esprit'' (1894) *'' L'apprentie'' (1904) *''Hermine Gilquin'' (1907) *''La Comédie bourgeoise'' (1922) *''Cécile Pommier. (1) L'Éducation spirituelle (2) La Lutte des classes'' (2 volumes, 1923) ; Fine arts *''Bernard Palissy'' (1881) *''Le Statuaire Rodin'' (1889) *''La Vie artistique'' (8 volumes, 1892–1903) *''Rubens'' (1902) *''Les Musées d'Europe'' (11 volumes, 1906–1908) *''Claude Monet'' (1920) *''René Lalique'' (1922) *''Sisley'' (1923) *preface to ''Auguste Brouet : catalogue de son œuvre gravé'' (2 volumes, 1923), a catalog of the etched work of

Auguste Brouet Auguste Brouet (1872–1941) was a French etcher and book illustrator. Biography Auguste Brouet was born and raised in a poor family in the popular north-east quarters of Paris and in Les Lilas, in the near suburbs. While apprenticed to a li ...

*''Charles Meryon'' (1926) *''Corot'' *''Daumier'' ; History *''Histoire de l'impressionnisme'' (1892) *''L'Enfermé'' (1897) *''La Bretagne'' (1905) *''Clemenceau'' (1918) *''Constantin Guys, l'historien du Second Empire'' (1920) ;Other *''Notes d'un journaliste: vie, littérature, théâtre'' (1887) *''Pays d'Ouest'' (1897) *''Les Minutes parisiennes, 2 heures. La Cité et l'île Saint-Louis'' (1899) *''L'Apprentie'', historical drama in 4 acts, Paris, Théâtre de l'Odéon, 7 January 1908 *''Les Bateaux de Paris'' (1903) *''Les Minutes parisiennes. 7 heures. Belleville'' (1903) *''Images du jour et de la nuit'' (1924)

References

External links

* * French journalists French art historians 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists 1855 births 1926 deaths French male novelists 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers {{France-nonfiction-writer-stub