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Eugène Girardet | Orientalist painter

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Eugène Alexis Girardet (1853-1907) was a French Orientalist painter of Swiss ancestry.
He came from a Swiss Huguenot family.
His father was the engraver Paul Girardet. His siblings, Jules, Léon, Paul Armand, Théodore and Julia Antonine (1851–1921), all became artists.
After learning engraving from his father, he studied at the École des Beaux-arts and in the studios of Jean-Léon Gérôme, who encouraged him to visit North Africa in 1874.



He also spent some time in Spain.
In all, he made eight trips to Algeria after 1879 (some with Jules and Léon), especially to the south, around the oases of Biskra, El Kantara and Bou Saâda, where he worked with Étienne Dinet.
In 1898, he visited Egypt and Palestine, producing many works depicting the lives of desert nomads.


Unlike other Orientalists, he produced no harem scenes. Upon returning to France, he became a teacher at the Académie Julian.
He exhibited regularly at the Salon and with the Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français (of which he was one of the founding members), with major shows at the Exposition Universelle (1900), where he won a gold medal, and the Exposition Coloniale de Marseille of 1906.


He also showed his works at the Glaspalast in Munich.
He was interred at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
In addition to several museums in France, his works may be seen at the Dahesh Museum of Art and the National Museum of Fine Arts of Algiers, as well as at museums in Switzerland and New York City.


He was married first to Maria Wickham (1855-1923), and finally to Gabrielle Girardet née Bazaille (1849-1930).
Nelly, one of his daughters with Wickham, married Louis Charles Breguet, famous French aviation pioneer.

















Eugène Alexis Girardet (1853-1907) è stato un pittore orientalista Francese di origini svizzere.
Veniva da una famiglia ugonotta svizzera.
Suo padre era l'incisore Paul Girardet.


I suoi fratelli, Jules, Léon, Paul Armand, Théodore e Julia Antonine (1851-1921), divennero tutti artisti.
Dopo aver imparato l'incisione da suo padre, studiò all'École des Beaux-arts e negli studi di Jean-Léon Gérôme, che lo incoraggiò a visitare il Nord Africa nel 1874.

Ha anche trascorso un po' di tempo in Spagna.
Complessivamente fece otto viaggi in Algeria dopo il 1879 (alcuni con Jules e Léon), soprattutto al sud, intorno alle oasi di Biskra, El Kantara e Bou Saâda, dove lavorò con Étienne Dinet.


Nel 1898 visitò l'Egitto e la Palestina, producendo molte opere raffiguranti la vita dei nomadi del deserto.
A differenza di altri orientalisti, non ha prodotto scene di harem.
Al ritorno in Francia, divenne insegnante all'Académie Julian.


Espose regolarmente al Salon e con la Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français (di cui è stato uno dei membri fondatori), con importanti mostre all'Exposition Universelle (1900), dove vinse una medaglia d'oro, ed all'Exposition Coloniale de Marseille del 1906.


Ha anche esposto le sue opere al Glaspalast di Monaco.
Fu sepolto nel cimitero di Père-Lachaise.


Oltre a diversi musei in Francia, le sue opere possono essere viste al Dahesh Museum of Art ed al National Museum of Fine Arts di Algeri, nonché nei musei della Svizzera e di New York City. | Fonte: © British Wikipedia