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Edmond Heuze
(1884-1967)
Two Young Girls, 1927
Edmond Heuze was a French painter, and though is little known today, was one of the leading figurative painters during the early 20 th century.
Since he was a boy, Heuze desired to be a painter, and when his family moved to Montmartre in 1895, he was brought closer to the art world. At the young age of 13, Heuze began to teach himself to paint, and took his works to the streets. There he met Suzanne Valadon, and his career began to take off.
Soire, 1925
Before he could support himself on painting alone, Heuze moved out of his parents home and became a tailor. It wasn’t until he painted a portrait of Valadon that Heuze truly became notice at the Salon d’Automne. However, after this, it is said that Heuze did not exhibit his work at a Salon again for thirty years.
Dans La Rue, 1925
Heuze typically painted typical Parisian scenes, clowns and people in watercolor or pastel, and sometimes oil. During his early years as an artist, like so many other artists he frequented the Moulin Rouge and was also an acquaintance of the famed Goulue. It is said that Goulue assisted him in becoming a full-time painter.
Clowns and Musicians
In 1914, Heuze was called to war, and didn’t return to Paris until 1918. He was not able to pick back up with art immediately after his return, and was a street vendor and did whatever he could to support himself. Heuze was eventually able to return to painting, but did not see an actual sale of his work until the mid-1920’s. He would also eventually become a professor of portrait painting in the 1950’s and enjoy a relatively active painting career. He was friends with a number of great painters of his time, and was especially close to Maurice Utrillo.
