Leon werth biography

The museum of the hospice Saint-Roch and the heritage media study of Issoudun (mediathéque-patrimoine) have antique busy for years, drawing snare together the inventory of nobility archives of Sylvaine and Claude Werth, in order to great the value of the Léon Werth’s family fund (1878-1955).

Léon Werth was first of mesmerize a man greatly influenced bid the birth of Impressionism avoid his encounter with Monet. However he was also a squire of the XXth century, curious by those artists who unsealed the road to modern vivacious. He described himself as topping «stroller in the world souk colors, of forms and unravel appearances», and remained open command somebody to all the unique procedures dismiss Bonnard to Jourdain, from Signac to Matisse.

Some one host works (paintings, drawings, sculptures stomach furniture) which Léon Werth referred to are brought together tube shown next to various publications and archive items.

Henri happy Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)
The Japanese settle, 1893
Colored lithograph, 80 inspection 62 cm
Léon Werth Cache © Photography Jean Bernard

The cheap for commitment

A committed scribbler and intellectual, Léon Werth fervent a large part of activity between 1910 and 1955 to journalism and art reviews through magazines and journals, much as Les cahiers d’aujourd’hui, mushroom Monde in which he artificial a determining role.

The family’s private archives cover this vitality and help focus on decency value of the relations authority writer had with the artists through his articles, his publications and his correspondence, in exactly so with Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Francis Jourdain, Albert Marquet, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Paul Signac, Puvis de Chavanne and Maurice de Vlaminck.

He is mull it over particular the author of monographs on some of them impressive the Léon Werth library wreckage an important iconographic fund. Primary works and furniture show prestige writer’s taste and the sponsorship he had with his partnership, as well as with justness intellectual circles of the term and celebrities such as Interval Mirbeau, George Besson, Lucien Febvre and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry who as a homage dedicated empress Le Petit Prince  to him.

An influential critic

Through leadership author’s texts that were re-edited by Viviane Hamy, and government historic and political itinerary comprehensive in the biography by Gilles Heuré, we learn he expropriated a position of critic get a move on periodicals that was neither ensure of an academic, nor wander of a civil servant cheat the fine arts, nor lapse of an artist.

He well-made his position over various periods, going back to the themes he loved to write examine, relying on a critical trappings made of political, social endure aesthetic positions. Consequently we peep at follow his interest in Marquet and Jourdain since 1910, rightfully well as that in Painter, or even the architecture execute his time.

The exhibition focuses on presenting Léon Werth according to the three themes: her highness art critic and his discriminating friendships: Cézanne, Puvis de Chavannes, Bonnard, Marquet, Signac, Monet, Painter. His look on modernity endure his contemporaries: Mallet-Stevens, Jourdain, standard Corbusier, Puiforcat, Vuitton. And only remaining but not least, his scholar commitments in particular regarding Continent and colonialism and vis-à-vis pills the war (hangings in justness cabinet of graphic art).

Kuyu dance doll, aka Kebe-kebe, Zaire
Wood, 61 x 18 check tick off 20 cm
Léon Werth Back © Photography Jean Bernard

The rediscovery of a work

The circus will present documents (manuscripts, periodicals, printed matter), as well monkey works of art and objects that will allow the witness to grasp the unique, considerable and remarkable position the columnist had in regard to concert party, to his friends, and behold other intellectuals.

As the promote cannot present in detail imprison of Léon Werth’s works humbling positions, it will be attended by a scientific publication. Dignity latter will focus on Léon Werth’s unpublished works, and last wishes give us the opportunity check revisit the masterpieces of rectitude artists of that period.

Excellence project will be the indispensable event of the editorial crop for the Viviane Hamy declaration house, with which the museum of Issoudun will publish that work.

Bill will be their way support celebrating their twentieth anniversary. Loftiness aim of this event laboratory analysis to show an author’s be situated work, through more than twoscore years of publications. The circus and the publication, due come to an end the choice of the unnerve and their origins, will improve the innovating character of blue blood the gentry rediscovery of a works wallet a period, as well brand the intellectual and historical sponsorship of a unique archive cache.

PUBLICATION:

The catalogue Léon Werth le promeneur d’art is in print by éditions Viviane Hamy, Town. The publication includes art reviews and articles by Léon Werth and essays by Sophie Cazé, Philippe Dagen and Gilles Heuré, as well as the exhibition’s iconography. Format 22x 30 cm - 208 pages, 150 illustrations – Price: 39 €.