Bernard Boutet De Monvel

Bernard Boutet De Monvel

Bernard Boutet de Monvel, a luminary of the Art Deco movement, possessed a rare ability to capture the elegance and spirit of his age. Born into a family of artists and writers, his father was the celebrated children's book illustrator Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel, Bernard initially pursued painting, studying at the École des Beaux-Arts. However, he soon found his niche as a sought-after portraitist and illustrator, his work gracing the pages of *Vogue* and *Harper's Bazaar*. His style, characterised by its clean lines, flattened perspective, and sophisticated colour palettes, reflects the influence of Japanese prints and the burgeoning modernist aesthetic. While his portraits of high society figures cemented his reputation, Boutet de Monvel's landscapes and architectural studies reveal a deeper artistic sensibility. He had a keen eye for geometry and a talent for distilling scenes to their essential forms, whether depicting the bustling streets of New York or the serene landscapes of North Africa. Tragically, Boutet de Monvel's life was cut short in a plane crash in the Azores in 1949. Despite his untimely death, his artistic legacy endures. His works offer a window into a world of refined taste and understated glamour, making his paintings and illustrations highly desirable additions to any collection seeking to capture the essence of Art Deco elegance.