Félix Vallotton — an artist with an amazing destiny: originally from Switzerland, he became a real star of the French art world. His work is experiencing a new surge of interest, especially in the year of the centenary of his death. Who was he - a modest master or a quiet revolutionary of art? In this article, we will talk about his life, self-portraits, legacy and exhibitions that in 2025 will once again remind us of his contribution to world culture.
Lost in Thoughts. 1887
Born on December 28, 1865, in Lausanne, Switzerland, into a conservative family with Protestant roots. His father Armand Adrien was a notary and his mother Louise, née Roseng, the daughter of a baker. The family was far removed from the art world. Felix Vallotton at a young age left his homeland and settled in the French capital, where he spent his entire creative life. The idol of young Vallotton was Gustave Courbet. Paris Catholic, noisy, ambitious, became for him not only a place of inspiration, but also a second homeland. And it was here, in 1925, that the artist completed his journey.
The port of Pully (study). 1889
When Vallotton was only 16 years old, he moved to Paris, determined. This can be judged by his early work “Self-Portrait at 20 years old”, where a young man with a confident look, full of ambition, as if challenging the artistic elite of the late XIX century. And his aspiration was not in vain. Soon he occupied his niche in the art environment.
The Bath, Summer Evening. 1892
At first, the young artist studied at the famous private Academy Julian, created by Rodolphe Julian in 1868. Then, with the support of his mentors, Vallotton entered the Academy of Fine Arts, where he not only excelled, but also became acquainted with the artists of the group “Nabi”, which he later joined, where he was given the nickname “Nabi foreigner”. He was recognized during his lifetime, which was a great rarity for many creative people of that time.
The Patient. 1892
In 1899, his works first appeared on the pages of the Russian No. 34 of the magazine “World of Art”. That same year, in the summer, Felix married. The widow Gabriella Rodriguez Henricks became his favorite. She was the daughter of Berngheim Jr. who was an art dealer and owned a gallery where the artist exhibited many times. One such exhibition, which featured 75 works by Vallotton, was held from April 27 to May 10, 1903.
The Artist`s Parents. 1886
Felix Jasinski in His Printmaking Studio. 1887
In early 1913, Vallotton receives an order to paint from a wealthy merchant from St. Petersburg. The artist goes to Russia. The country makes an ambiguous impression on him. “The Kremlin, stunning. It looks barbaric, wild and a bit comical.” - quote from the artist's diary
Интимная пара в интерьере / Intimate Couple in Interior. 1898
In 1923, Vallotton painted his last, eighth self-portrait. In this image was no longer youthful boldness, but rather a thoughtful look of a mature man with a rich past. In his hand he holds a palette, an indispensable attribute of every artist. Two years later, the artist was gone. Between the first and last self-portraits fit all his rich creative biography.
Flowers and Strawberries. 1920
The Source. 1897
His legacy is astonishing in scale: in addition to his many illustrations for the press, Vallotton created 1,602 paintings. Of these, 300 are in the world's leading museums and another 177 are in the collections of some twenty Swiss museums. These figures demonstrate the astonishing productivity of a master whose centenary of death will be celebrated in 2025.
The Turkish bath. 1907
To celebrate this date, Switzerland's major cultural institutions organize large-scale exhibitions. They take place in cities such as Vevey, Winterthur, Ascona and Lausanne at the Jenisch Museum, Kunstmuseum, Castello San Materno Museum and Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts respectively. Each exhibition reveals a unique facet of Vallotton's talent.
Woman with a Black Hat. 1908
Although painting made him famous in France, international recognition came from his prints. Working with sharp black-and-white contrasts, he created his own recognizable artistic language, which he later used in print graphics.
Over the past decade and a half, attitudes towards Vallotton's work have changed significantly. His work has been presented in exhibitions in major cities around the world, bringing him to the attention of a new audience. The starting point for the revival of interest was a retrospective entitled Fire Under Ice, held in 2013 at the famous Paris Grand Palais, near the Champs-Elysees. This exhibition was a landmark event and helped to cement the reputation of an artist whose work is now back at the height of interest.
Felix Vallotton also wrote three novels published after his death: A Cruel Life, The Rings of Cyprian Morus and Corbejo. He is also the author of six plays, as yet unpublished, and several sketches. All these texts will be scheduled for release in October 2025, by the Geneva-based publisher Zoé.
Roger delivering Angelica. 1907
“Felix Vallotton's paintings depict the burgher milieu of the late 19th century with great irony. The same can be said of his sharp satirical plays. I would add that he was all imbued with the atmosphere of his time, criticizing the family, married life and social institutions in general. There were many playwrights among his Parisian friends, and it was probably they who gave him the idea of turning to the theater. And he no doubt hoped that the theater scene would bring him a long-awaited release from his eternal financial worries” - quoted by Daniel Majetti, professor at the University of Lausanne.
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