In the shadow of his friend, a patron
and an artist: George Daniel de Monfreid
The Musée d'art Hyacinthe Rigaud showcase the important friend and patron of a famous artist: Paul Gauguin. Thus, George Daniel de Monfreid, which was born in 1856 (and died in 1929), was one, if not one of the biggest admirers of the work of Paul Gauguin while being a painter of his own.
The artist was born in New York on March 14, 1856. He was the son of Charles de Monfreid who died at sea in 1859 and of Marguerite Barrière. Due to the wealth of his family, he moved to Paris and entered the Académie Julian in Paris in 1876. He will later become friends with an important artist group composed of Maurice Denis, Ker-Xavier Roussel and Édouard Vuillard before meeting his longtime friend Paul Gauguin.
In 1877, he presented his first works at the Salon of French Artists with a landscape called Evening in the Gorges of Apremont, Forest of Fontainebleau (location unknown). But due to his weakness, he and his family moved to the south of France, bought a boat and went on the Costa Brava.
Almost 9 years later, Monfreid painted Haystacks and met Aristide Maillol in Paris. They get along together, and the next summer they decided to paint the plateau of Leucate. And back to Paris, he followed the last lesson of Seurat in 1888 and 1889 before turning himself to the division of colors.
The same year, one of his studio mate decided to introduce him of Gauguin in November 1887.
Influence - Friendship and Patron
George Daniel de Monfreid once said: “When I saw Gauguin for the first time, I was greatly disconcerted by the artistic data emanating from his works as well as from the conversations of this extraordinary man… In him you immediately felt the Master".
While both artist has an incredibly rich and important friendship. In 1889, Monfreid was invited by Gauguin and his friends to exhibit at the Café des Arts opposite to the entrance to the Universal Exhibition. But when Gauguin departs to Tahiti, Monfreid feel depressed and alone.
But he never forgets his friend Paul Gauguin (in Tahiti), who he will have a long and important correspondence. In these letters, they exchange their complaints about buyers who do not buy and the misery they have. Gauguin also illustrated his letters with sketches of paintings, as he did for Te Arii Vahine (1896) or for the triptych Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going ? (1898).
After the death of his dearest friend, George-Daniel de Monfreid was informed on August 23, 1903 by an administrative letter from the interim governor of the island. He also became Paul Gauguin's executor. With all of his works on hand, he organizes a retrospective of the works of Gauguin at the Salon d'Automne of 1906 with Gustave Fayet. This will lead to the commission of the first biography of the painter from one of his friends, Jean de Rotonchamp.
23 years later, George-Daniel de Monfreid died in Saint-Clément on November 26, 1929.
Informations about the exhibition
Place: Musée d'art Hyacinthe Rigaud
Date: 25.6.2022 – 6.11.2022
Curators: Pascale Picard
Ticket: Available at the front desk of the museum
Informations about the Musée d'art Hyacinthe Rigaud
Musée d'art Hyacinthe Rigaud
21 Rue Mailly
66 000 Perpignan
Phone: +33 (0)4 68 66 19 83