Louis Théophile Hingre (also known as Théophile Hingre) was a French painter, sculptor, engraver, illustrator and poster artist. He was born in 1832 in

Écouen Écouen () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The 19th-century poet and playwright Pierre-Joseph Charrin (1784–1863) died in Écouen. The artist Loui ...

, where he also died, in 1911. His specialty was sculptures of animals.

Life and career

Hingre was born on 19 November 1832, in Écouen. At the age of 12, he was apprenticed in Paris to the studio of Henri Louis Gervais and Adrien Possot to learn ornamental sculpture and manufacture of bronzes. His apprenticeship continued until he was 25. In 1851, at the age of 19, he married Louise Dailly. They had four children, Maximilien, Clémentine, Marguerite and finally Leon, who also became a painter, forging his career in England. During Hingre's career, he was a member of the artistic jury of his department (d'État de la Seine) from 1896 till 1906, an officer of the

Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

from 1899 and a public teacher of the arts from 1908. A republican by political orientation, he was close to

Louis Blanc Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc ( ; ; 29 October 1811 – 6 December 1882) was a French Socialism, socialist politician, journalist and historian. He called for the creation of cooperatives in order to job guarantee, guarantee employment for t ...

, having met him during the

1848 revolution The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

. He made sculptures for republican banquets, photographs of which remain, although the works themselves are lost. Because of his political activism, Hingre twice had to flee to England, once in 1848, and once in 1858. While in England, he worked in Birmingham as the ornamental sculptor of Elkington & Co. During this employment he first began to sculpt animals; is first works were horse racing trophies. He first exhibited at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

in 1860, despite his British exile. He continued to work for Elkington & Co until he returned to France. In 1869, after his return to France, he lived in Paris. There he regularly took part in the competitions of the 'Union centrale des arts décoratifs' and exhibited almost yearly at the Salon until he was 78. He presented 45 works in the years 1860 to 1910. He was also a member of many goldsmiths organisations. He won a gold medal at the 1878 International Workers Collective Exhibition, and collaborated on works that obtained medals at the 1878 and 1890 Universal Expositions. His admiration for Mucha, and his reputation as a poster artist, led to him being hired to produce

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style posters for the Violet perfume house. At the age of 79, he died on 12 November 1911 at the house of his daughter Clémentine in Écouen. A street in Écouen is named for him.

Works

An example of Hingre's work can be found at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

, where a poster he designed for Theophile Roederer champagne can be seen.

Gallery

Louis Theophile Hingre - Poster.jpg Louis Théophile Hingre - Vögel und Blumen.jpg Louis Theophile Hingre - Window card 1895.jpg Louis-Théophile Hingre - Chocolat Carpentier.jpg Parfums Violet affiche américaine.jpg Louis-Théophile Hingre - Théophile Roederer & Co 1897.jpg Louis Théophile Hingre - Nouvelles Galeries.jpg

Life and career

Works

Gallery

References

Further reading