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| fr.wikipedia.org |
Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1881-1949) was the son of Louis-Maurice de Monvel, a major illustrator of 19th century French children's books. Bernard trained under his father and under Luc-Olivier Merson (1849-1920), best remembered for his evocative
Rest on the Flight Into Egypt, below.
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| amazon.com |
Like his father, de Monvel became an illustrator, and also an advertising artist. After World War I duty, he traveled to Morocco, where he spent the better part of seven years. There he painted orientalist Moroccan scenes, perhaps influenced by the work of Merson.
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| Connoisseur | May 1987 |
Starting in 1926, de Monvel made yearly trips to the United States, where his society portraits were in much demand. De Monvel — elegant, charming, amusing and always beautifully dressed — attended the same dinners and balls as upper crust New York society, where he would easily attain new clients. The portrait above, of Mrs. Payne Whitney, cost upwards of $10,000, a staggering sum during the Depression.
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| Library of Congress |
And so Bernard Boutet de Monvel lived very well. This is a view of his studio in Palm Beach, Florida. He also had a (mirrored) octagonal room in his French home.
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| Connoisseur | May 1987 | | |
In this portrait of
Millicent Rogers, de Monvel revels in the luxe of designer clothes. He was a master of painting satins and jewelry. Millicent's mother had been a life-long patron, and de Monvel often painted generations of a family.
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De Monvel's portraits have often been described as "icy." Beautifully composed and technically smooth, they are beautiful likenesses that nonetheless don't reveal sitters' inner warmth or personality. Perhaps that suited clients who were more interested in projecting status. Above is the 1931 portrait of Mrs. Samuel L. M. Barlow.
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| Marquis de Cuevas | Connoisseur | May 1987 |
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| orinink.wordpress.com |
Above is a 1929 portrait of
Yeshwantro Holkar II, Maharajah of Indor, and below is a study for the same portrait.
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| findartinfo.com |
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| Duc de Brissac | thesnobreport.tumblr.com |
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| askart.com |
Above is a 1925 portrait of George Marie Haardt, General Manager of
Citroën. |
| lyceo_hispanico | egilet.wordpress.com |
De Monvel painted striking cityscapes of New York and often incorporated architecture into his portraits, like the 1933 one of Rodman W. Edminston, below.
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| lyceo_hispanico |
I've saved my favorite painting for last. It's Bernard Boutet de Monvel's own self-portrait, with the Place Vendȏme in the background.
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| Connoisseur | May 1987 |
De Monvel died in the Azores on October 28, 1949, when an airplane he was riding crashed into a mountain side..
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