Louis Levacher (15 August 1934,

Fécamp Fécamp () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Alabaster Coast. It is around ...

– 7 March 1983,

Harfleur Harfleur () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western France for six centuries, until Le Havre was built about five kilometres (three miles) downstream i ...

) was a French painter and sculptor.

Lineage

The Levacher family is first mentioned in Contremoulins archives circa the late 18th century and appears to originate from the Valmont region. The older branch of the family moved to

Montivilliers Montivilliers ( or ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region in northern France. Geography A large light industry, light industrial and farm ...

while the younger branch moved to

Criquebeuf-en-Caux Criquebeuf-en-Caux (, literally ''Criquebeuf in Caux'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography The commune is centered on a farming village situated in the Pays de Caux, some northeast ...

Yport Yport () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. The residents are known as Yportais or Yportaises. Location Yport is located on the D104 road, about north of Le Havre, on the coast of the Engl ...

, Saint-Valery-en Caux, and finally to

. Members of this younger branch made their living as millers, then farmers, eventually becoming rope makers. Under the

French Restoration The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history during which the House of Bourbon returned to power after the first fall of Napoleon on 3 May 1814. Briefly interrupted by the Hundred Days War in 1815, the Restoration lasted until the ...

, the Levachers of Fécamp gradually became merchants and ship-owners, ascending into the local ''

petite bourgeoisie ''Petite bourgeoisie'' (, literally 'small bourgeoisie'; also anglicised as petty bourgeoisie) is a French term that refers to a social class composed of semi-autonomous peasants and small-scale merchants whose politico-economic ideological st ...

'' and enjoying a quick rise in social status. The family, however, would only hold this position for a little less than a century. Louis Levacher's grandfather, a ship-owner and merchant, was also named Louis (1877–1949). He was awarded the cross of Verdun and subsequently handed over his business management to his wife, Marguerite Grivel. His son, Louis' father, also named Louis (1911–1988), owned a

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with t ...

. The buildings still partly belong to the family. Louis' mother, Denise Thomas (1913–2003), was a seamstress from a

Doudeville Doudeville () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography Called the flax capital, the town is situated at the centre of the Pays de Caux, the chalk plateau in High Normandy and one widely ...

family that dates back to the 17th century.

Early life and background

Louis (1934–1983) was an only child and was born five years before the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. His parents divorced during the war. While his grandfather's endeavours continued in spite of the war, those of his father were hampered by his deployment in 1940. Louis married Michèle Moreau (1942–2012) and soon after his marriage, Louis had to leave for Algeria. Louis and Michèle had three children, two sons and a daughter. The eldest son was named Louis, continuing the family tradition. Louis Levacher worked as a driver, as well as a painter and sculptor. He is famous for his artistic work. Art was very much a family endeavor for the Levacher's. Louis and his wife Michèle worked together, creating pieces with a highly original, avant-garde style. Michèle exhibited her work in various places, including the Basque country. While well-recognized both in Normandy and beyond, their art did not make them rich. His daughter also specialized in collage and sculpture, exhibiting her work in the region several times.

Style and technique

Levacher used multiple techniques in his art, including painting and sculpture. His paintings, mixed figurative and abstract, often using large formats. His sculptures mix genres, with wood being used to represent saints or being formed into richly detailed totems.

Exhibitions in France

Exhibitions abroad

* Show Mouscron, Belgium * Royal Windsor Gallery, Brussels *

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

, Germany * "Research and Expression" exhibition, the United States and Japan * Assessment of Contemporary Art, Quebec * Zoetermeer, Netherlands

Sources

* Documentation belonging to the family Levacher. * Documentation belonging to the family Grivel * * Municipal Archives and Contremoulins Fécamp

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levacher, Louis 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters 1934 births 1983 deaths 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors People from Fécamp