Marcel Gromaire (24 July 1892 – 11 April 1971) was a French painter. He painted many works on social subjects and is often associated with

Social Realism Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

, but Gromaire can be said to have created an independent oeuvre distinct from groups and movements.

Early life

Marcel Gromaire, whose father was an educator in Paris, was born in

Noyelles-sur-Sambre Noyelles-sur-Sambre (, literally ''Noyelles on Sambre'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry Notable people * Marcel Gromaire See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes ...

, France. He studied classically at

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 ...

, then continued his studies in Paris, receiving his Baccalauréat in Law in 1909, a judiciary career path he quickly abandoned. He frequented studios in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

and attended classes at Académie de La Palette. In 1912, he performed his military service in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...

. He was wounded in 1916 in the Battle of the Somme.artnet.com

Creative life

Gromaire returned to Paris. Working in a Paris studio, he painted the reality of his studio and its light and contents, using dark ochres and browns. He used his studio as a standard, a filter; it was more than just a place to paint.The Artist in His Studio, Viking Press, ''by Alexander Liberman'' A meeting with a collector, Doctor Girardin, established his career as an artist when he purchased the entirety of the work of Gromaire. When Girardin died in 1953, the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in Paris received 78 oil paintings as well as a collection of watercolours. Gromaire was recognized very early by galleries and museums. Already in 1931 Pierre Matisse exhibited Gromaire's work at the inauguration of his New York gallery. In 1933, a retrospective at the Kunsthalle de Baie established the importance of his body of works. In 1937, his work was exhibited by orders of the State at the Paris Exposition Internationale. Gromaire painted a little over seven hundred canvases, an average of about ten per year. He also taught, and his pupils included the painter and sculptor Jeanne Patterson Miles.

Later career

From 1939 to 1944, Gromaire resided at Aubusson, Creuse, and participated in the renewal of the tapestry movement with Jean Lurcat. He was named a professor at the

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ÉnsAD, also known as Arts Decos', École des Arts Décoratifs) is a public grande école of art and design of PSL Research University. The school is located in the Rue d'Ulm in Paris. Profi ...

from 1950 until 1962. In 1950, he travelled to the United States as a member of the jury for the

Carnegie Prize The Carnegie Prize is an international art prize awarded by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently consists of a $10,000 cash prize accompanied by a gold medal. History The Carnegie Prize was established in 1896, to ...

, which was awarded to

Jacques Villon Jacques Villon (July 31, 1875 – June 9, 1963), also known as Gaston Duchamp, was a French Cubist and Abstract art, abstract painter and printmaker. Early life Born Émile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp in Damville, Eure, Damville, Eure, ...

that year. A Carnegie prize (not first) was awarded to Gromaire himself in 1952. In 1954, he was made commander of 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 ...

and in 1958, the Grand Prix National des Arts. From 1947 to 1956, he exhibited at the Galerie Louis Carré in Paris. In 1963, a retrospective was dedicated to Gromaire at the

Musée national d'art moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement of the city. In 2021 it ranked 10th in t ...

. Gromaire died in Paris in 1971 after a long stay in hospital. In 1980, an exhibition was held at the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris from 12 June to 28 September.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gromaire, Marcel 1892 births 1971 deaths 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters Modern painters Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur People from Nord (French department) French military personnel of World War I