Paul César Helleu

Paul César Helleu ( born December 17, 1859 in Vannes, Brittany, † March 23, 1927 in Paris) was a French painter, etcher and illustrator of realism. He was known for his portraits of the famous and most beautiful women in the Belle Époque.

Life

Paul César Helleu did an apprenticeship as a ceramist and took drawing lessons by the way. Against the wishes of his widowed mother went to Helleu in 1876 to Paris at the École des Beaux -Arts, under the Salon- realists Jean -Léon Gérôme (1824 - 1904) to study. Within a short time he made ​​the acquaintance of the famous artists of the city, including Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, Robert de Montesquiou, James Tissot and Giovanni Boldini. With John Singer Sargent soon he formed a close friendship. Helleu established itself in the 1890s as a successful painter of portraits Boulevard of the rich and famous. His wife, Alice Guerin (* 1874), was his muse and favorite model.

At auctions, Paul César Helleu 's airy outlined images are traded at prices from 5000 to 50,000 U.S. dollars.

Awards

Works (selection)

Mademoiselle Vaughan, pastel drawing, 1905

Camara, pastel drawing, 1905

Lady with Flowers, oil on canvas, 1910

Madame Helleu sur son yacht L' etoile, oil on canvas, about 1898 - 1900

On the sofa, pastel drawing, 1899

Madame Paul Helleu Seated at Her Secretaire, oil on canvas, 1900

Young woman in white ( Mrs. Helleu ), oil on canvas, 1900

Portrait of Mademoiselle Alice Guerin, oil on canvas, 1900

The Yacht Nereus in Cowes Roads, oil on canvas, 1900

Le Grand Pavois, oil on canvas, 1901

The Yacht Etoile, oil on canvas, 1903

The Harbor at Deauville, oil on canvas, 1911

Hydrangeas, pastel drawing, 1911