Henri Aimé Duhem (7 April 1860,

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

- 24 October 1941, Juan-les-Pins) was a French Impressionist painter.

Biography

He was descended from an old Flemish family and originally practiced as a lawyer. In 1887, his passion for drawing and

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

s finally led him to go to Paris and enroll in the drawing classes of

Henri Harpignies Henri-Joseph Harpignies (; June 28, 1819 – August 28, 1916) was a French landscape painter of the Barbizon school. Life He was born at Valenciennes. His parents intended for him to pursue a business career, but his determination to become a ...

. While there, he became friends with Émile Breton, who introduced him to oil painting. Breton's niece, Virginie Demont-Breton (the daughter of

Jules Breton Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French naturalist painter. His paintings are heavily influenced by the French countryside and his absorption of traditional methods of painting helped make Jules ...

), introduced him to a young painter named Marie Sergeant, whom he married in 1890. Adrien Demont, ''Souvenances'', éditions de la Nouvelle Société Anonyme du Pas-de-Calais, 1927 Portrait de Marie Duhem peignant par Henri Duhem

Portrait de Marie Duhem peignant par Henri Duhem

At about that time, Demont-Breton moved to a small village named Wissant. Encouraged to follow, the Duhems established a home in Camiers and gathered their artist friends together to form what would be known as the "École de Wissant", some of the most notable members of which were Georges Maroniez, Francis Tattegrain and Fernand Stiévenart. In 1893, he fully abandoned his legal career to devote himself to art, both as a creator and an avid collector of work by his contemporaries. He and his wife travelled extensively as he began to exhibit more widely abroad.

Personal losses

During the early part of World War I, he and Marie lost their only son Rémy at the assault on Les Éparges (20 June 1915). Marie was deeply affected and never truly recovered. She died of a neglected tumor in 1918, during the occupation. Because of his legal experience, Duhem was called upon to assist with the administration of Douai. His painful memories of this period are recorded in a book called ''La Mort du foyer'' (The Death of a Home, Éditions Figuière, 1922). In the inter-war period, he remained artistically active, preparing a major show at the

Salon des Tuileries The Salon des Tuileries was an annual art exhibition for painting and sculpture, created June 14, 1923, co-founded by painters Albert Besnard and Bessie Davidson, sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, architect Auguste Perret, and others. The first year's e ...

in 1923, commuting between Douai and Paris, where he maintained a home in the Sixteenth Arrondissement. In 1932, he was named a Commander in 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 ...

. Five years later, faced with declining health and the threat of war, he moved to Juan-les-Pins, where he lived at the villa "Mont Riant" until his death. In 1985, his priceless art collection was donated to the Musée Marmottan by his adopted daughter Nelly, following his wishes.Marianne Delafond, ''La Donation Duhem, Musée Marmottan, Paris'', éditions du Musée Marmottan, Paris, 1987.

References

Other writings by Duhem

* ''Renaissances'', éditions Clerget, 1897. * ''Impressions d’Art Contemporain'', éditions Figuière, 1913. * ''Ève ou l'épicier'', éditions de la Flandre, 1935.

External links

*
Arcadja Auctions: More works by Duhem
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duhem, Henri 1860 births 1941 deaths Impressionism 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 19th-century French male artists

Biography

Personal losses

References

Other writings by Duhem

Further reading

External links