Charles Guérin

Charles Guérin (1875-1939), like Matisse, Marquet, Manguin and Rouault, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Gustave Moreau. His work mainly owes a debt to the Impressionism of Monet and Renoir, whom he greatly admired. Guérin made his début at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1896, then exhibited at the Salon d'Automne from 1903 and at the Salon des Indépendants from 1906. He later exhibited in various European cities, including Munich, Brussels and Amsterdam. The greater part of Guérin’s oeuvre comprises portraits and still-lifes, which are often decorative in character. In comparison with his Fauve contemporaries, his use of colour is relatively subtle and restrained. Guérin also produced distinctly romantic portraits of women in elegant gowns; he illustrated books, and designed decors and costumes for an opera. Relatively late in his career he became a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts.