Andre Maire

French painter, born in 1898 in Paris and died in 1985. André Maire Painter and draftsman of landscapes, architecture. From the age of 10 until the age of 16, he attended the School of Drawing at Place des Vosges in Paris. He was a pupil of Emile Bernard from 1914 to 1922. Mobilized, he finished his service from 1919 to 1921 in Indochina where he was a teacher at the Lycée Chasseloup Laubat in Saigon. This stay will have a considerable importance on the rest of his life. He discovers the temples of Angkor and this vision was a revelation for him. Back in France, he settled in Venice in 1922 for the next 6 years. There he discovered the flamboyant Venetian baroque. Associated with his former master who became his father-in-law, he produced large canvases "Le Déluge", "Le Travail"... From 1924 to 1938, he had numerous exhibitions in 2 prestigious galleries, Charpentier and George Petit. He moved to Paris in 1928. He moved to Paris in 1928. In 1931, he participated in the Colonial Exhibition encouraged by Marshal Lyautey and participated in the magazine Illustration. In 1933, he won the Casa Velazquez prize where he stayed for 3 years, visiting towns and villages from North to South. Back in Paris, he left again in 1937 for the Orient, stopping for 6 months in Egypt where he accumulated a very important documentation. Continuing his journey, he was received by the Governor of French India in Pondicherry. He travels the whole country, from South to North. Mobilized in 1939. He took refuge throughout the war in his house in Semur en Auxois where he painted memories of his travels. When the war was over, he embarked for West Africa, where he also produced important documentation. Back in France, he was appointed in 1947 professor of drawing at the School of Architecture of the Far East dependent on the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The school is in Dalat, in the highlands of Annam in Vietnam. There he studied the different ethnic groups originating from Polynesia. During this period, he returned several times to Angkor and studied the achievements of the Khmers there in a quasi-scientific way. He travels regularly to Laos which he discovers with his friends from Saigon. He will study there especially the Buddhas. Driven out by the events of 1958, he returned to Burgundy. But he left again in 1959, in Madagascar. In 1968, he stayed 2 years in La Martinique. Back in France in 1970, he will live between Paris and Burgundy. Sources: Bénézit - Les André Maire de la Piscine at Gourcuff Our drawing is dated 1957 (Vietnam) and is signed lower left. Charcoal and sanguine on paper. Dimensions: 65 x 51 cm Very good condition.