CAMAX-ZOEGGER (1887-1952) - Lot 326

CAMAX-ZOEGGER (1887-1952) Maternity Oil on canvas, unsigned 100 x 80 cm Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger (Paris, 1881 - Paris, 1952) is one of those artists of the first half of the 20th century who have been eclipsed in art history by the overwhelming figures of the pioneers and avant-gardes. Born in Paris in the 1880s, Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger belonged to this generation of artists who experienced the profound changes taking place under the Third Republic. She made her debut as an artist at the turn of the 20th century, a pivotal period that a growing number of art historians identify as a turning point for the emancipation of women in art. From the 1910s until her death, Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger was a key figure in French art. oeCollectors and museums bought her works, both in France and abroad. She receives commissions and official distinctions, rubs shoulders with the most influential figures in the art world and exhibits in prestigious galleries. Critics were unanimous in their praise of her colorist gifts and her talent for capturing "happy childhood". oeNature is omnipresent in the painter's work, including in her portraits and still lifes, most of which consist of bouquets. More than any other subject, landscape fascinates Camax-Zoegger. From her early days as an artist to the end of her career, this genre occupied an essential place in her production. Although a true Parisian, the painter loved nothing more than to paint in the open air, far from the hustle and bustle and dullness of the city. From her frequent stays at Le Pouldu, she produced a large number of seascapes, which critics praised for their power. Far from Brittany, the painter found another refuge in the Fontaine-Liveau property that her husband bought in 1911 in Etréchy. The artist was particularly fond of the garden and the estate's surroundings. She painted from the motif and regularly set up her easel on the banks of the Juine, the river that runs through the property's vast park. Riverbanks are among her favorite subjects, but more than anything else, trees fascinate her. She creates true portraits of them. "How did I come to make my big trees? By looking at them. In the countryside, my house is surrounded by them. I see them as soon as I open my eyes, and as I contemplate them, I absorb (if I can put it like that) everything I love about them...". With the birth of her children in the 1910s, Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger turned to genre scenes on the theme of childhood. Her children, particularly her four daughters, were her main models. Her third daughter, Geneviève, appears in several of her paintings. The artist paints almost exclusively in oils, which she brushes with broad strokes and a thick paste. Color is always reinforced by matter, which gives it body and supplants drawing. For Camax-Zoegger, line is secondary. In 1929, Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger became president of the Syndicat des femmes artistes, peintres et sculpteurs and founded the Société des Femmes artistes modernes in 1931. The French artistic and institutional community was moved by her death in 1952, and recognized her as a great name in modern art. In 1961, a major retrospective was held at the Musée Galliera, alongside Louise Hervieu and Suzanne Valadon, her contemporaries and friends.