Marcel Baschet


Marcel-André Baschet was a French portrait painter, notable for his numerous portraits of the Presidents of the French Third Republic.

Biography

He was born in Gagny, the second son of the art editor Ludovic Baschet, editor of Panorama and the Revue illustrée. His brother René was the art critic for Salonsavant, and was editor of the magazine L'Illustration from 1904 to the first half of the 20th century. At 17, Marcel entered the Académie Julian in the studio of Jules Lefebvre. A student at the École des beaux-arts de Paris in the studio of Gustave Boulanger, in 1883 he won the Grand Prix de Rome for painting for Oedipus curses his son Polynices, and became a pensionist at the Villa Médicis in Rome from 1883 to 1887.
On 3 January 1888, he married Jeanne Guillemeteau, and they had two children, one son and one daughter. He became a teacher at the Académie Julian in 1889. From 1900, he spent a number of years as a teacher to Princess Mathilde. From 1907 to 1941, he had a shop at 21 quai Voltaire in Paris, where a commemorative plaque was placed after his death. He won the médaille d'honneur in 1908 for his portrait of Henri Rochefort, and his portrait of Claude Debussy was exhibited around the world. He was awarded the Knight of the Légion d'honneur in 1898, and then in 1913, he was elected a member of the Académie des beaux-arts.
His works are held in a number of private collections and museums, including the musée d'Orsay and château de Versailles. His younger brother Jacques was a historian, art critic, artistic director, and editor of the magazine L'Illustration, and director of a national company.

Works

Paintings