André Maire

ANDRÉ MAIRE (Paris 1898-1984).
"Venice".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
It presents damages in the frame.
Measurements: 36 x 46 cm; 54 x 63 cm (frame).

André Maire studied with André Devambez at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. He also attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he met other artists such as the engraver Albert Decaris, the sculptor Prost and the painter Roger Nivelt. In 1917 he was mobilized at the end of World War I, and on the advice of Émile Bernard served in the colonial infantry, which allowed him to travel to Indochina. His first trip to Indochina was approximately in 1918-1919, being a drawing teacher in Saigon at the Chasseloup-Laubat school. During that first contact with Indochina he was deeply impressed by monuments such as those of Angkor, scenes of local life, tropical landscapes, and Asian cultures, which decisively marked his vocation as a traveling painter.

He was in Venice, Spain, Egypt, India and Africa at various stages over the years, traveling, drawing, taking notes, sketches, accumulating visual documentation that he would later reflect in more elaborate works in his studio. He was granted a scholarship from the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid in 1932-1933; this scholarship allowed him to reside in Spain for a period of time and to deepen his artistic universe.

In 1948, Maire returned to Indochina for the second time, this time with more institutional positions: he was a professor of drawing (and modeling) at the Higher School of Architecture in Dalat and then in Hanoi. During this stage he produced numerous works reflecting everyday life, highland landscapes (Dalat), scenes of pagodas, markets, indigenous populations, etc. His works show a sensitivity to the environment, both natural and human, and a style that mixes direct observation, travel drawing, and personal memory.

He was awarded important prizes, such as the Prix Bastien-Lepage of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1961, for a work representative of the French environment.