An Artistic Legacy: Five Generations of the Pissarro Family by Christopher-Clark Fine Art

An Artistic Legacy

Five Generations of the Pissarro Family

An Artistic Legacy Five Generations of the Pissarro Family Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)

Lucien Pissarro (1863–1944)

Georges-Henri (Manzana) Pissarro (1871-1961)

Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952)

Paulémile Pissarro (1884-1972)

Felix Pissarro (II) (1917-1984)

Hugues Claude Pissarro (Born 1935)

Yvon (Vey) Pissarro (Born 1937)

Lélia Pissarro (Born 1963)

Lyora Pissarro (Born 1991)

Foreword As one of the most popular movements in the history of art, Impressionism has been the subject of countless exhibitions and innumerable publications. Images of the masterworks from this once avant-garde style have filled our collective unconscious and inspired us with their f leeting moments of the sublime. There is, however, a fascinating element that deserves to be more fully explored: the legacy of Camille Pissarro and his descendants. As if a brilliant arc of light galvanized his lineage, the number of artists who have emerged from his family is extraordinarily. Camille Pissarro was a founding member of the Impressionist movement and a highly respected figure among his peers. His inspiration was largely drawn from nature, and his desire to work en plein-aire led to the development of an unconventional style that celebrated the transitory aspects of life. His love of the natural world and his creativity greatly inf luenced his children, who grew up in an environment in which artistic expression was encouraged. Not only were they taught by their father, but other members of his circle including Cézanne and Monet. Camille had five sons, all of whom became talented artists. The eldest was Lucien, who was so accomplished that his work was featured in the final Impressionist exhibition of 1886. Next was Georges-Henri, affectionately known as “Manzana,” who initially adopted his father’s style, but was later inf luenced by Gauguin’s work in Tahiti and the Orientalist style. Camille’s third son was Felix, whose great promise was cut short by an early death at the age of twenty-three. His works are quite scarce and rarely appear on the market. Ludovic-Rodo, Camille’s fourth son, is not only remembered as a talented artist who was aligned with Toulouse-Lautrec, Vlaminck and Dufy, but for creating a definitive catalogue of his father’s work. Camille’s youngest son was Paulémile, and it’s interesting to note that he was as much inf luenced by the art of Cézanne as that of his father. In fact, Camille instructed his children “If you want to paint, look at Cézanne.” Of equal importance in Paulémile’s life was Claude Monet, who became his guardian after the death of his father. The third generation of artists in the Pissarro family were Orovida, Lucien’s daughter, Felix (II), the son of Georges Manzana, and Paulemile’s sons, Hugues Claude and Yvon. Both of the latter are still active today and featured in prominent collections worldwide. H. Claude’s daughter Lelia is also an accomplished artist, as is her daughter Lyora, the fifth generation artist in the family. To more fully explore the accomplishments of Camille and his descendants, we are pleased to present An Artistic Legacy: Five Generations of the Pissarro Family.

Mark Miles Director Christopher-Clark Fine Art August 2015

Camille P issarro

(1830-1903)

Camille Pissarro was one of the most inf luential members of the French Impressionist movement, and was the only artist to participate in all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions. Born on July 10, 1830, in Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies, Camille was sent to school in Paris, where very early on he displayed an extraordinary talent for drawing. He eventually returned to Paris in 1855, having convinced his parents of his determination to pursue a career as an artist. He studied at the Academia Suisse with Monet, where he also met Cézanne, Manet and Renoir. At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, Camille moved temporarily to England. Upon his return to France, he made the horrific discovery that all but 40 of the 1500 paintings he had left there – almost twenty years’ work – had been vandalized. It was one of the greatest tragedies of his life; however, he had no choice but to begin again. He moved in 1872 to Pontoise, where Gauguin and many other artists would come to visit him. Cézanne, who lived nearby, came for long periods to work and learn. In his last years Camille divided his time between the cities of Paris, Rouen and Le Havre and his home in Eragny. Pissarro not only painted, but was also the most prolific printmaker among the Impressionists. Most of his etchings were made for his own enjoyment, as he was indifferent to the commercial value of printmaking. In fact, only five etchings were ever published during his lifetime. At the time of Pissarro’s death in 1893, he had finally begun to receive public recognition. His contribution to the development of Impressionism is inestimable, and today his work is featured in leading museums and private collections worldwide.

Camille Pissarro LisiĂ¨re du bois , 1867 Oil on canvas 10 x 14 1/16 inches Exhibited: Pavia, Italy, Visconti Castle, Pissarro, February - June, 2014, cat. no.7 Provenance: Galerie Romanet, Paris; Simon Barbey, Geneva; Private Collection.

Camille Pissarro

Mendiantes, c. 1890-94 Watercolor and pencil on paper

8 x 6 1/8 inches

This watercolor is a finished composition done before the etching of the same title (Delteil no. 110). It is to be included in Dr. Joachim Pissarroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forthcoming Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Works on Paper by Camille Pissarro, currently in preparation. Exhibited: Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, The T. Edward Hanley Drawings Collection, October-November 1946, no. 31; Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Hanley Collection, February-March, 1957; Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, The T. Edward Hanley Collection, January-February 1950, no. 106; New York, Wildenstein & Co., Inc., Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings from the Hanley Collection, November-December 1961, p. 13, no. 99; Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, The T. Edward Hanley Exhibition, January-April, 1962, no. 119. Provenance: Galerie Durand-Ruel et Cie, Paris; T. Edward Hanley, Bradford, Pennsylvania; Wildenstein & Co., Inc. New York; Private collection. 6

Camille Pissarro

Paysage Ă Pontoise, c. 1875 Graphite drawing on paper 5 x 8 1/4 inches

Le Boulevard, c. 1870 Graphite drawing on blue tinted paper 8 x 13 1/4 inches

Camille Pissarro 8

MarchĂŠ de Gisors, Rue Cappeville , 1894-95 Etching on paper 7 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches

Camille Pissarro

Marché à Pontoise, c.1895 Lithograph on chiné applique 12 1/8 x 9 inches 9

Camille Pissarro Paysanne au Puits c. 1890 Charcoal drawing on paper 9 3/8 x 7 3/4 inches A preliminary drawing for the etching of the same title (Delteil no. 110).

Camille Pissarro Paysanne au Puits 1891 Etching with aquatint 9 1/4 x 7 3/4 inches

Camille Pissarro

Baigneuses (Le Jour), c. 1895 Lithograph on blue paper 5 1/4 x 7 15/16 inches

Camille Pissarro

Baigneuses gardeuses dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oies , c. 1895 Etching on paper 4 3/4 x 7 inches 11

Camille Pissarro

Paysage Ă lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hermitage (Pontoise), 1880 Drypoint on paper 4 5/16 x 4 7/8 inches

Camille Pissarro

Paysage en long , 1879 Aquatint with etching on paper 4 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches

Grand’mère [ef fet de lumière], 1889 Etching and aquatint on paper

6 13/16 x 10 1/16 inches

L ucien P issarro

(1863–1944) Lucien Pissarro, the eldest son of Camille Pissarro, was born in Paris in 1863. His development as an artist was greatly enhanced by his constant exposure to artists including Cézanne, Manet, and Monet in particular. Nurtured by this environment, Lucien began to draw and paint with such skill that he was included, along with his father, in the eighth Impressionist exhibition of 1886. He moved to England permanently in 1890, where he played a vital role in securing the acceptance of Impressionism in that country. Since he excelled in painting landscapes, few examples of stilllifes or portraits exist today. Of all Camille’s children, Lucien was perhaps the closest to his father. After the artist’s first visit to England, Camille began to correspond with him almost daily, creating one of the most important sources of information on the history of Impressionism.

Lucien Pissarro 14

Milton Bottom, East Knoyle , 1916 Pen and colored crayon drawing on paper

5 x 8 1/2 inches

Lucien Pissarro

Chaumont en VĂŠxin, 1926 Pencil and watercolour on paper 6 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches

Shaftesbury, 1916 Colored crayon and watercolor drawing on paper 4 7/8 x 8 1/4 inches 15

Georges -H enri (M anzana ) P issarro

(1871-1961)

Georges-Henri Pissarro, better known as Manzana, was the third of Camille Pissarro’s seven children. As a young man, he adopted his father’s Impressionist style and produced a series of landscapes around Pontoise and Eragny. The inf luence of Gauguin’s exotic scenes from Tahiti, however, contributed to Manzana’s fascination with Orientalism and the use of gold, silver and copper paint. During the early 1900’s, Manzana regularly exhibited Impressionist works at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Indépendents. He continued to show his work regularly until the late 1930’s, as he moved between homes in Les Andelys and Paris. He often spent summers at Pont Aven in Brittany, which inspired a series of paintings based on the local costumes and lifestyle. At the declaration of war in 1939, he moved with his family to Casablanca and remained there until 1947. Manzana spent the last years of his life in Menton, returning to his Impressionist roots and painting the local landscape.

Georges Manzana Pissarro 16

Toits rouges à Menton , 1953 Oil on board 15 3/4 x 21 7/8 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro Le jardin f leuri c. 1930 Oil on panel 16 x 12 7/8 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro Le Jardin de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;artiste a Vezillion (eure) c. 1930 Pastel and gouache with highlights metal 12 1/8 x 11 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro

Harbour Scene, Normandy Oil on board 13 x 16 1/8 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro

Peacocks, 1930 Gouache on paper

12 x 19 1/2 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro Breton Ă la vache, 1929 Oil on panel 21 1/4 x 25 1/2 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro La rĂŠcolte des pommes , 1906 Mixed media on canvas 17 1/2 x 21 5/8 inches

Georges Manzana Pissarro

Les Baigneuses , c. 1955 Oil on board 11 x 13 3/4 inches 21

L udovic -R odo P issarro

(1878-1952)

Ludovic-Rodolphe Pissarro, also known as Ludovic-Rodo, was Camille Pissarro’s fourth son. In 1894, at the age of sixteen, he published his first wood engravings and by 1898 was sharing a studio in Montmartre with his bother Georges-Henri. The impact of Camille’s art and teaching on him was considerable, but he also closely aligned himself with artists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice de Vlaminick, Raoul Dufy and Alfred Sisley. In 1905, he even participated in the Fauve exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants. Like his brother Lucien, Ludovic-Rodo spent a considerable amount of time in London, and many of his paintings are of familiar London landmarks. It was there that he and Lucien established the Monarro Group in 1915, with the aim of exhibiting work by contemporary artists who were inspired by Impressionism. Ludovic-Rodo is also known for undertaking the cataloging of his father’s oeuvre. The project took him more than twenty years to complete and resulted in the 1939 two-volume publication that is, to this day, a standard text on Camille Pissarro

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro Paysage Normand, Port en Bessin, c. 1914 Watercolor and crayon 10 7/8 x 15 inches 22

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro

Pagoda Avenue, Richmond , c. 1919 Oil on canvas 19 3/4 x 25 1/2 inches

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro Japonaise prĂŠparant le thĂŠ , c. 1907 Charcoal and watercolor 18 7/8 x 24 5/8 inches 23

Paulémile P issarro

(1884-1972)

Paulémile Pissarro, Camille’s youngest son, was born in Eragny in 1884. He was bought up in the artistic environment of the family home there and, encouraged by his father, began drawing at an early age. Paulémile’s godfather was Claude Monet who became his teacher and close friend, particularly after Camille’s death in 1903. In 1905, Paulémile exhibited at the Salon des Indépendents for the first time, showing an impressionist landscape entitled Bords de l’Epte à Eragny, and although his father had supported his desire to be an artist, his mother was eager for him to learn a more practical trade. By the 1920s, Paulémile had become an established Post Impressionist artist in his own right, sharing a studio with Kees Van Dongen and spending the summer months escaping from Paris with him and Maurice de Vlaminck. During the late 1920s and early 1930s Paulémile reached the peak of his artistic development, arriving at the individual style for which he is now best known. In 1967 he had his first one-man show in the United States, which led to even further recognition of his work and a degree of success that few of the artists in his family had known during their lifetimes. Since his death in 1972, Paulémile’s paintings have been exhibited around the world and interest in his work continues to grow.

Paulémile Pissarro 24

Vallée de l’Orne , 1935 Oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 24 inches

PaulĂŠmile Pissarro

PĂŞcheur sur un lac, c. 1935 Oil on canvas board 25 3/8 x 21 1/4 inches

PaulĂŠmile Pissarro

Le pain de sucre, c. 1935 Oil on canvas 28 3/4 x 36 inches

Paulémile Pissarro

L’Orne – Contre-Jour, c. 1935 Oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 24 inches

PaulĂŠmile Pissarro

Chemin de campagne, ClĂŠcy, c. 1945 Pastel drawing on paper 9 7/8 x 13 inches

PaulĂŠmile Pissarro

La PĂ¨re Tangues et sa femme au jardin, c. 1945 Watercolor on paper 9 7/8 x 12 3/4 inches

Felix P issarro (II)

(1917-1984) Félix Pissarro was born in September of 1917 and was the grandson of Camille Pissarro and the son of well-known artists Georges Manzana Pissarro and Roboa (a recognized pastelist). Under the tutelage of his parents, he turned his hand at an early age to sketching and pastels. The family later moved to Casablanca, where Felix begin exhibiting art with his parents. After the death of his mother in 1949, he and his father returned to Andelys. Felix married in 1953 and the newly wedded couple, along with Georges, moved to Menton on the Côte d’Azur. It was there that Félix and his father found the necessary physical environment to realize the full potential of their artistic talents. Félix exhibited at the Biennale in Menton, as well as in the Negresco in Nice, and he was also a long-standing exhibitor at the Trianon Gallery in Monte-Carlo. After a successful career, Felix died in Menton in November of 1984, at the age of sixty-seven.

Above: Georges Manzana Pissarro Felix Pissarro Crayon on paper

Felix Pissarro House in the Forest Charcoal on paper 25 1/4 x 19 1/4 inches

Felix Pissarro

Light in the Forest, 1963 Oil on board 25 3/4 x 19 5/8 inches 31

Hugues C laude P issarro

(Born 1935)

Hugues Claude Pissarro, the grandson of the great Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, and the son of Paulémile Pissarro, was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1935. Carrying on a family tradition, Hugues Claude spent much of his youth accompanying his father on painting excursions. His formal training occurred at several prestigious French institutions including the Ecole du Musée du Louvre and the Ecole Normale Supérieure. For many years, he worked as an art professor, while exhibiting regularly in Paris and London. In 1959, he was commissioned by the White House to paint President Eisenhower’s portrait. Like many artists, Hugues Claude was not immune to the more radical movements of his time. However, though he experimented with avant-garde expression for almost two decades, he eventually returned to a more traditional style - finding it difficult to break from the formative training of his family. He maintains a frenetic pace of activity, frequently working well into the night, producing the large canvases that have become his trademark. His distinctive style involves applying colors with great speed straight from the tube, which results in a thick, robust texture – not unlike the Impressionist paintings created by his grandfather’s generation. Today, the artist’s masterful paintings and pastels are collected worldwide, and he continues to be a respected contributor to major art publications.

H.C. Pissarro 32

Bouquet de Céline, 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches

H.C. Pissarro

Matin t么t, place du Chatelet, 2015 Oil on canvas 19 3/4 x 24 inches

Le Moulin de la Galette, 2015 Oil on canvas 15 x 18 1/8 inches 33

H.C. Pissarro

Le Castelet Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Anita Guillemette a Jouvences (BrĂŠcy), 2015 Oil on canvas 19 3/4 x 24 inches

H.C. Pissarro

Le Moulin de Vey, 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches

H.C. Pissarro

H.C. Pissarro 36

Paris, Rue de Clignancourt, 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches

Avenue Massena (Nice), 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches

H.C. Pissarro

Les Passementeries Albert Melesee, 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches

H.C. Pissarro Le grand hĂ´tel de la gare, et le restaurant des peintres â&#x20AC;&#x153;La Locoâ&#x20AC;? Barbizon, 2015 Pastel drawing on paper 14 5/8 x 20 1/8 inches 37

H.C. Pissarro

La Falaise de GĂŠologues ( Sainte - Honorine des Pertes) Oil on canvas 36 1/4 x 28 3/4 inches

H.C. Pissarro

Les Cerisiers de Mariel en automne, 1992 Oil on canvas 51 1/4 x 38 1/4 inches

H.C. Pissarro

La Falaise de Saint Honorine , 2000 Oil on canvas 39 1/4 x 31 inches

H.C. Pissarro

Petit Saint-Veran et boĂŽte de sel , 2004 Oil on canvas 36 1/4 x 28 1/4 inches

Yvon (Vey) P issarro

(Born 1937) The son of Paulémile and grandson of Camille Pissarro, Yvon was born in December 1937. At an early age he left the family home in Normandy, and later entered the Académie Julian to study drawing and the history of art. He also attended the Paris City Council evening classes in order to further develop his skill. His first major art project occurred after developing a friendship with the poet James Sacré. Yvon created and printed around fifteen woodcuts for a collection of Sacré’s poems, La transparence du Pronom ‘Elle’. It was at this point that the artist decided to abandon the family name, choosing instead a pseudonym for the name of a hamlet, Vey, where his brother Hugues rented a house.

Yvon spent several consecutive summers at his cousin Orovida’s home in London, where he spent countless hours visiting museums to further his knowledge and gain inspiration. He also traveled to Italy, where he greatly admired the beauty of the landscape and the abundance of fine art. He began devoting himself to drawing, and produced a series of large scale works that were very well received. He later settled in Nice in order to join other artists who specialized in drawing, which led to an important exhibition under the leadership of Dany Bloch, a curator of the Paris Musée d’Art Moderne. Today, though in his late 70’s, Yvon continues to create art and his works are featured in a number of prominent collections.

Yvon Pissarro

Le laveur de vitres or Le rĂŞve inaccessible Crayon drawing on paper 25 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches

Yvon Pissarro

Waves, 1986 ContĂŠ chalk drawing on paper 27 1/2 x 39 1/2 inches

Yvon Pissarro

La plage aux algues vertes, c. 1980 Graphite and pastel drawing on paper 20 5/8 x 11 3/8 inches

Lélia P issarro

(Born 1963) Lélia Pissarro has painted since the age of 4, having been educated by her grandfather Paulémile and her father H. Claude Pissarro. From infancy until the age of eleven she was entrusted to the care of her grand-parents, Paulémile Pissarro and his wife Yvonne, in Clécy, Suisse Normandy. Her interest in drawing and painting was nurtured by her grandfather, who taught her the fundamental Impressionist and Post-Impressionist techniques. When she returned to her parents in Paris, the role of teacher was taken over by her father, and she subsequently studied at l’École des Beaux-Arts. Lélia moved to London in 1988 and her work has regularly been exhibited in galleries around the world. Following the tradition of her great-grandfather, grandfather and father, Lélia has played an important role in continuing this artistic dynasty

Lelia Pissarro 46

Clécy, c. 2003 Oil on canvas 35 5/8 x 41 3/4 inches

Lelia Pissarro Andrew Welding c. 2010 Oil on board 11 3/8 x 11 3/8 inches

Lelia Pissarro Jenny sous la neige c. 2010 Oil on cradled board 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches

Lyora P issarro

(Born 1991) Born into a family of artists, curators, art dealers, professors and critics, Lyora Pissarro has been immersed in the art world from a very young age. She sold her first painting at 6 years old and has been a determined artist ever since. During her time at school, she was awarded an art scholarship, but also pursued an undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology. As a student at the University of Manchester, Lyora turned her attention to the performing arts and the medium of the body as a tool for creative expression. Her final thesis explored the relationship between anthropology and art, with a focus on the work of Marina Abramovic. She later attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Hunter College, obtaining her second undergraduate degree in Fine Art. Today, Lyora is involved in many facets of the art world and her work is regularly featured in exhibitions. As a fifth generation artist from the family of Camille Pissarro, her art is forward thinking while still acknowledging the great artists who have preceded her.

Lyora Pissarro 48

A Long Story, Chapter 2, 2015 Acrylic, enamel and nail polish on paper 15 x 16 inches

Lyora Pissarro

A Long Story, Chapter 3, 2015 Acrylic, enamel and nail polish on paper 14 x 19 inches

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