Henry Gérard

HENRY GÉRARD (Toulouse, 1860 - Martigues, 1925).
"Mediterranean village", 1903.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 59.5 x 72 cm; 81.5 x 94.5 cm (frame).

Henry Gérard was a post-impressionist painter distinguished for creating a vibrant art, full of light and joy. From the beginning of his career, he captured with charm and voluptuous sensitivity the sunny and changing landscapes of Martigues and Provence. His style is characterized by a palette of bright colors and an attention to detail, especially in the depiction of light and water, as we observe in the oil on tender.

Henri Paul Gérard was a post-impressionist painter trained under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre in Paris. After completing his apprenticeship, he returned to Toulouse, his hometown, where he organized an exhibition of his works in 1899 that was highly appreciated by Toulouse art lovers. He met Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whom he portrayed. After his divorce from his first wife, he moved to the banks of the Berre pond in Martigues. In 1901 he acquired a large property overlooking the pond, on which he built a mansion, the villa Khariessa, which would become both his place of work and a refuge to receive his friends. He exhibited from 1886 at the Union Artistique de Toulouse, at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris (mention in 1904), at the Salon de la Libre Esthétique in Brussels, at the Salon des Artistes Meridionales and at the Exposition d'Art Moderne des Artistes Latins in 1921, which was his last appearance in the exhibition halls. Three exhibitions have been dedicated to him in recent years: Martigues in 2010 and 2015, and La Côte Saint-André in 2016. He is currently represented at the Museum of Toulouse, the Museum of the Augustinians, the Museum of Martigues and the Ziem Museum.