Émile Breton

Émile Adélard Breton (8 March 1831, Courrières – 24 November 1902, Courrières) was a French painter and engraver; best known for his moody nocturnal landscapes with figures.

Émile Breton; photograph by Étienne Carjat (1866)
Christmas Night

Biography

His older brother, Jules, was also a painter and gave him his first lessons, although he was largely self-taught. His younger brother, Ludovic Breton, was an engineer who was in charge of drilling for the first attempt to build a cross-channel railway tunnel.

His first exhibition was at the Salon in 1861. He later won a medal there three years in a row (1866–68) and was awarded a first-class medal at the Exposition Universelle (1878). Following that, he was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor.[1] He was given a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889).

During the Franco-Prussian War, he served as a commander of the forces in Pas-de-Calais. He also served as Mayor of Courrières, as did his father, Marie-Louis Breton (1796–1848) and his uncle, Boniface Breton (1829–1891).

He was profoundly affected by the death of his only son, Louis, in 1891 at the age of twenty-nine, which came shortly after the death of his wife. The following year, he decided to abandon painting and sold his entire workshop at auction.[2] Later, he began painting again, but produced very little.

His niece was Virginie Demont-Breton, who was also a well-known painter. Adrien Demont (who married his niece) and Henri Duhem were among his best-known students. A street in Courrières has been named after him.

References
  1. Documentation @ the Base Léonore.
  2. Auction catalogue @ BNF Gallica.

Media related to Émile Breton at Wikimedia Commons

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