André Dunoyer de Segonzac

André Dunoyer de Segonzac, 1911,Les Boxeurs (The Boxers),location unknown, presumed destroyed by the artist. Black and white reproduction in Huntly Carter,The new spirit in drama & art,1913

André Dunoyer de Segonzac(6 July 1884 – 17 September 1974) was a French painter and graphic artist.

Biography

Segonzac was born inBoussy-Saint-Antoineand spent his childhood there and in Paris. His parents wanted him to attend the military academy of Saint-Cyr but, recognizing his strong interest in drawing, they agreed to his enrollment at the Free Academy of Luc-Olivier Merson. Merson's academic style of instruction did not suit Segonzac, however, and, following a period of military service, he studied at theAcadémie de La Palette,whose staff includedJacques Émile Blanche(he would later teach at La Palette withJean MetzingerandHenri Le Fauconnier). Soon giving this up in favor of an independent course, free of any masters, he later cited 1906 as the starting date of his artistic career.

His first submission to theSalon d'Automnewas in 1908; the next year he exhibited at theSalon des Indépendants,and for the next several years he exhibited regularly at both. In the early 1910s he became a member ofSection d'Or.He was one of the modernists included in theArmory Showthat opened inNew Yorkin 1913, with subsequent showings inChicagoandBoston.

In 1914, the year of his first solo exhibition (at the Galerie Levesque in Paris), Segonzac was drafted for military service inWorld War I.He saw combat in the region of Nancy and at Bois-Le-Prêtre, before being transferred to the pioneeringcamouflage sectionled byLucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola.Between 1914–1918 he published and exhibited a number of war drawings, and by war's end he had earned theCroix de Guerre.He drew on his military experiences—and learnedetchingin 1919—in order to illustrateThe Wooden CrossesbyRoland Dorgelès(published in 1921). Segonzac found etching to be a congenial medium to his spontaneous drawing style, and by the end of his life he had produced some 1600 plates.His work was also part of the art competitions at the1932 Summer Olympicsand the1948 Summer Olympics.

In 1947, he published his suite of etchings illustrating theGeorgicsofVirgil.In the judgement ofAnne Distel,chief curator of theMusée d'Orsay,"The technical perfection and the nobility of the tone, which carried the cachet of the original, but was imbued throughout with an unfailing lyricism, make this work Segonzac's masterpiece. It must be included in a list of the most beautifully illustrated books of [the 20th] century."

The gossamer quality of his etchings stood in contrast to the thickly painted surfaces and generally somber color of hisoil paintings,which reflected his admiration forCourbetandCézanne.His subjects includelandscapes,still lifes,andnudes.He influenced other artists likeSamuel Peploe.Prolific until the very end of his life as a painter in oils andwatercolor,and as a printmaker, Segonzac died at age 90 in 1974. He was married to the actressThérèse Dorny.

Collections

Segonzac's work is held in the permanent collections of several museums worldwide, including theBritish Museum,theToledo Museum of Art,theNational Portrait Gallery,theFine Arts Museums of San Francisco,theUniversity of Michigan Museum of Art,theFred Jones Jr. Museum of Art,theNational Gallery of Denmark,theMetropolitan Museum of Art,theTate,thePhiladelphia Museum of Art,theMuseum of Modern Art,theHiroshima Museum of Art,theHammer Museum,theNelson-Atkins Museum of Art,theEskenazi Museum of Art,theMemphis Brooks Museum of Art,theFogg Art Museum,theNational Museum of Western Art,theClark Art Institute,theHood Museum of Art,theDetroit Institute of Arts,and theMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Illustrations

• Jean Cocteau,Bertrand Guégan (1892-1943);L'almanach de Cocagne pour l'an 1920-1922, Dédié aux vrais Gourmands Et aux Francs Buveurs

References

• Distel, Anne (1980).Dunoyer de Segonzac.New York: Crown.ISBN0-517-54004-5