Biography
Louis Valtat, born August 8, 1869 in Dieppe and died January 2, 1952 in Paris, was a French painter and engraver associated with the Fauvist movement. Born into a wealthy family of shipowners, he spent part of his childhood in Versailles, where he attended the Lycée Hoche. Encouraged by his father, himself an amateur painter, he developed an early interest in art.
In 1887, at the age of 17, Valtat moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, under masters such as Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre. He completed his training at the Académie Julian, where he made friends with artists such as Albert André and Pierre Bonnard.
Valtat made his debut at the Salon des Indépendants in 1889, exhibiting works influenced by Impressionism and Pointillism. In 1895, he stayed in Arcachon for health reasons and produced brightly colored paintings prefiguring Fauvism. He also collaborated with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec on theater sets.
From 1899 to 1905, Valtat stayed regularly in Agay and Anthéor, on the Côte d’Azur, where he painted intensely colored Mediterranean landscapes. In 1900, he signed a contract with art dealer Ambroise Vollard, ensuring the distribution of his work. He exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in 1905, alongside the Fauves, provoking controversy for his bold colors.
After 1914, Valtat worked mainly in Paris and Normandy, devoting himself to still lifes, landscapes and scenes of daily life. He continued to paint until 1948, when he lost his sight to glaucoma. He died in Paris on January 2, 1952, leaving behind a rich and varied body of work, marked by a bold use of color and a stylistic transition between Impressionism and Fauvism.
