Jean Paul Brusset
Encyclopedia
Jean Paul Brusset was an internationally acclaimed painter with what has been described as "a strong Mediterranean flair". He was born in Pont du Gard
, near Nîmes
, in Provence
, France.
In 1929, after completing his higher education
at the college in Uzès
, Brusset travelled to Paris where he enrolled at L'École des Arts Appliqués et des Arts Decoratifs
and sold his first painting, Le Pont d'Avignon. He went on to exhibit in major galleries such as the Salon des Tuileries
and soon earned his first special exhibition. In the preface to the exhibition catalogue Tristan Bernard
commended him as "A good painter and a true interpreter of nature".
During the difficult economic times of the 1930s Brusset survived as a decorator, most notably at the Cannes Film Festival
. In 1938 he married Marika Rivera
,http://www.vancemartin.com/artists/mcbean/mcbean01.html the daughter of the Russian émigré cubist painter Marie Vorobieff
(also known as Marevna) and the Mexican cubist painter and muralist Diego Rivera
; and they had a son together named Jean Diego Brusset. The marriage did not last long.
On the outbreak of World War II in 1939 Brusset was called up to the French Navy
. In 1942, he left France for Algiers
, where he decorated the studio of the Voice of America
. An exhibition in Tunis
followed. In 1945 he returned to Paris and re-established himself there with an exhibition in 1946. In L'Amateur d'Art there was reference to his "hitherto much ignored talent"; and he was being admired as a "true painter" with a "serious heart", a "profound interior life".
During 1948 to 1954 Brusset travelled to Caracas
, Venezuela
and San Juan, Puerto Rico
and spent time in the United States with his exhibition Paris by Brusset under the patronage of the cultural attaché
of the French embassy in Washington, D.C.
. As a result of their successful exhibition of his works acquired by the Delgado Museum of Art in New Orleans, Brusset was made a Citizen of Honour of the town and Colonel of the Guard of Honour of the Lord Governor of Louisiana, an honour never previously conferred upon a foreigner. The exhibition then visited many cities, including Memphis
, Dallas, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Montreal
and Toronto
.
In 1955 Brusset returned to France, where an exhibition of his ceramic
s presented at Cannes
won him the award of the L'Academie Internationale de la Ceramique of Geneva
. In 1956 he collaborated with Jean Cocteau
in the decoration of the chapel of Saint Pierre in Villefranche-sur-Mer
; and in 1957 he exhibited at the Galerie Vendôme in Paris. The paintings were subsequently bought by the French government.
Brusset's last special exhibition was La Provence du Brusset, organized by the mayor of Baux-de-Provence on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Mistral
in 1980.
This article uses information from the biography by M. J. Tatum and list of exhibitions (cf. External links).
Pont du Gard
The Pont du Gard is a notable ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gard River in southern France. It is part of a long aqueduct that runs between Uzès and Nîmes in the South of France. It is located in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département...
, near Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, France.
In 1929, after completing his higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
at the college in Uzès
Uzès
Uzès is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It lies about 25 km north-northeast of Nîmes.-History:Originally Ucetia, Uzès was a small Gallo-Roman oppidum, or administrative settlement. The town lies at the source of the Eure, from where a Roman aqueduct was built in the first...
, Brusset travelled to Paris where he enrolled at L'École des Arts Appliqués et des Arts Decoratifs
École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs
The École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs is a public university of art and design and is one of the most prestigious French grande école...
and sold his first painting, Le Pont d'Avignon. He went on to exhibit in major galleries such as the Salon des Tuileries
Salon des Tuileries
The Salon des Tuileries was an annual art exhibition for painting and sculpture, created June 14, 1923, co-founded by painter Albert Besnard, sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, architect Auguste Perret, and others....
and soon earned his first special exhibition. In the preface to the exhibition catalogue Tristan Bernard
Tristan Bernard
Tristan Bernard was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer.-Life:Born Paul Bernard into a Jewish family in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France, he was the son of an architect...
commended him as "A good painter and a true interpreter of nature".
During the difficult economic times of the 1930s Brusset survived as a decorator, most notably at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. In 1938 he married Marika Rivera
Marika Rivera
Marika Rivera was a French film actress and dancer.She was born in Paris, the non-marital daughter of the Mexican artist Diego Rivera and his mistress, the Russian-born painter Marie Vorobieff-Stebelska . Rivera, who was married to Angelina Beloff, did not accept his daughter...
,http://www.vancemartin.com/artists/mcbean/mcbean01.html the daughter of the Russian émigré cubist painter Marie Vorobieff
Marie Vorobieff
Marie Bronislava Vorobieff-Stebelska , also known as Marevna, was a Russian-born Cubist painter. She is internationally known for convincingly combining elements of cubism with pointillism and – through the use of the Golden Ratio for laying out paintings – structure. She tends to be accredited...
(also known as Marevna) and the Mexican cubist painter and muralist Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
; and they had a son together named Jean Diego Brusset. The marriage did not last long.
On the outbreak of World War II in 1939 Brusset was called up to the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
. In 1942, he left France for Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, where he decorated the studio of the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. An exhibition in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
followed. In 1945 he returned to Paris and re-established himself there with an exhibition in 1946. In L'Amateur d'Art there was reference to his "hitherto much ignored talent"; and he was being admired as a "true painter" with a "serious heart", a "profound interior life".
During 1948 to 1954 Brusset travelled to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and spent time in the United States with his exhibition Paris by Brusset under the patronage of the cultural attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
of the French embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. As a result of their successful exhibition of his works acquired by the Delgado Museum of Art in New Orleans, Brusset was made a Citizen of Honour of the town and Colonel of the Guard of Honour of the Lord Governor of Louisiana, an honour never previously conferred upon a foreigner. The exhibition then visited many cities, including Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Dallas, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
In 1955 Brusset returned to France, where an exhibition of his ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s presented at Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
won him the award of the L'Academie Internationale de la Ceramique of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. In 1956 he collaborated with Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
in the decoration of the chapel of Saint Pierre in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
; and in 1957 he exhibited at the Galerie Vendôme in Paris. The paintings were subsequently bought by the French government.
Brusset's last special exhibition was La Provence du Brusset, organized by the mayor of Baux-de-Provence on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral was a French writer and lexicographer of the Occitan language. Mistral won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1904 and was a founding member of Félibrige and a member of l'Académie de Marseille...
in 1980.
This article uses information from the biography by M. J. Tatum and list of exhibitions (cf. External links).
External links
- Biography by M. J. Tatum with a photograph showing Brusset working at a portrait of Jean Cocteau.
- List of exhibitions
- Select paintings (b)
- Select paintings (c)
- mention of death