André Devambez au Petit Palais

Born in Paris in 1867, André Devambez was already immersed in an artistic family environment, since his father was a printer, engraver and publisher, founder of the Maison Devambez, an engraving and publishing company.
Very quickly, André Devambez decides to become an artist and joins the workshop of the Passage des Panoramas, in his father's company. Then, accepted at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the artist André Devambez becomes the student of one of the greatest British portraitists of the 19th century, Benjamin Constant.
At the same time, he developed his knowledge with Gabriel Guay and Jules Lefebre at the Académie Julian.
He received all the honors during his lifetime: Prix de Rome, professor at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, academician, commander of the Legion of Honor.

His paintings reflect modern daily life, whether positive or not.
André Devambez was above all interested in his time and became a true witness of his time, the pivotal period of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and the Belle Epoque,
As an observer, but also endowed with an unparalleled sense of humor, Devambez oscillated between serious and light-hearted subjects, as evidenced by his paintings, drawings, portraits or etchings on the theme of World War I. His best-known painting, "The Charge", depicts a battle in the street at night between police officers and demonstrators.
André Devambez was interested in the technological advances of his time.
As an illustrator, he has a preference for children's books. Collaborations also took place with Le Figaro and Le Rirer
The exhibition is divided into 12 sections, each of which brings a part of his personality or one of his artistic periods, and I'll bring you the themes that interested me the most and that express the quintessence of the artist's work.
A common denominator that can be retained is a very particular framing, which gives a certain visual height, and therefore allows to take a certain distance from the subject. After a first part devoted to the academic beginnings of André Devambez, a second part is dedicated to the family and entertainment. A third part of the exhibition is devoted to the Parisian life depicted by Devambez, which perfectly reflects the bustling life of the capital during the Belle Époque. We meet scenes of cafes, drinkers who remake the world in tight compositions highlighting the realistic subject. A fourth point of the exhibition is devoted to the technological advances of his time. André Devambez was passionate about this subject, especially in terms of transportation, and he provides valuable information on the rise of cars, the metro, the development of airships and the birth of aeronautics.
Many works are dedicated to aeronautics, in a very particular framing, always in height.
An artistic pioneer in the field of aeronautics, Devambez finally obtained approval in 1934 to join the corps of painters of the Ministry of Air.
Modern inventions have always fascinated him and what he appreciates is the life that is mixed with them: the world rushing in the subways, the crowd.
In 1909, André Devambez was chosen to create twelve compositions for the large reception room of the French Embassy in Vienna.  Devambez was given carte blanche to give free rein to his overflowing imagination: the representations are unexpected, reflections of modern life, cars, newsstands, airships, boats, a set that constitutes one of the most beautiful diplomatic set of France abroad.
If you knew André Devambez, it is certain that you probably knew him as an illustrator, since he worked for L'Illustration, Le Figaro illustré, Le Rire, Fantasio.
His overflowing imagination is coupled with a humor that perfectly matches Gulliver's universe, which allows him to play on the different scales in a framing that will remain his trademark.
But Devambez, as a good chronicler of the time, depicted the joys and misfortunes of our society.
Devambez is a witness of his time, sketching and reporting like a reporter the significant events of its history: the First World War, the riots. The painting "The Charge" remains one of his best known paintings.
Illustrator and portraitist throughout his life, his career will also be marked by the world of the "Tout-Petits".
He participated in the "Tout-Petits" exhibition organized by the Georges Petit gallery from 1917 to 1926.