Félix Bracquemond

1833 Paris
1914 Paris


The etcher and lithographer Félix Bracquemond was born on 22nd May 1833 in Paris. He began his artistic career by training as a lithographer. He simultaneously took drawing classes and then studied under Joseph Benoit Guichard, a student of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.
Braquemond soon became known for his interpretations of Old Masters. In 1852, he exhibited a portrait at the Paris Salon, which was the focus of a great deal of attention. In 1863, the jury at the Salon was particularly strict, and excluded a large number of the works submitted for the annual exhibition. One of Félix Bracquemond’s etchings was also rejected.
Together with the other "rejected" artists, he exhibited his work in the "Salon des Refusés" at the appointment of Napoleon. III. In the 1860s, Félix Bracquemond regularly participated in artistic meetings in the Café Guerbois.
He was actively involved in discussions about the Paris Salon and new artistic influences. Bracquemond was one of the first artists to take an interest in Japanese colour woodcuts, as part of the wider focus on Oriental art, and was inspired by their aesthetic. He gradually gained recognition as an independent artist.
In 1869, he married his wife Marie, also an artist, and a short time later, they moved to the countryside, where Félix Bracquemond became a porcelain painter and graphic artist. Between 1872-79 he was the artistic director at the studio of porcelain manufacturer "Haviland" in Limoges. In 1885, Bracquemond published a much-respected book on drawing and colour. Five years later, he was awarded the "Grand Prix" for his graphic works.
Félix Bracquemond died on 29th October 1914 in Paris.