Félix Vallotton
Vallotton was called the Foreign Nabi, which was both a joke and a diagnosis. He was Swiss, from a conservative family in Lausanne, and his temperament was cooler and more detached than the Parisian painters he joined in 1892. The Nabis were interested in mysticism and spiritual art. Vallotton was interested in what happens between people when they think nobody is watching.
Biography
He moved to Paris at seventeen and studied at the Academie Julian. His woodcuts, made in the 1890s, revived a medium that most printmakers had abandoned in favour of colour lithography. Working in pure black and white, he carved domestic interiors, street scenes, and a series called Intimites: ten prints depicting the private moments of married life, with an emphasis on adultery, deception and the particular loneliness of two people in the same room. The images are flat, graphic and psychologically sharp.
His support for Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish officer falsely convicted of espionage, strained his relationship with several of the Nabis. He bought a Kodak camera in 1899 and began using photographs as source material for paintings, manipulating compositions into fictionalised versions of observed reality.
He married the daughter of the art dealer Alexandre Bernheim in 1899, which gave him financial security and access to the Parisian art market. He painted nudes, still lifes and landscapes with a smooth, almost clinical finish that disturbed viewers who expected warmth from pictures of naked women.
He wrote three novels and eight plays, none of which were published in his lifetime. His first novel, La Vie Meurtriere (The Murderous Life), appeared posthumously in 1930. He died the day after his sixtieth birthday.
Timeline
- 1865Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, into a Protestant middle-class family; showed early aptitude for drawing and music.
- 1882Aged 17, moved to Paris and enrolled at the Académie Julian; quickly came under the influence of Holbein and Dürer in the Louvre, which steered him towards a linear, graphic sensibility at odds with Impressionist looseness.
- 1892Aged 27, became associated with the Nabis group alongside Bonnard, Vuillard, and Denis; shared their interest in flat colour, decorative pattern, and the expressive distortion of space.
- 1896Aged 31, achieved wide recognition for his woodcuts, which combined stark black-and-white contrasts with biting social observation; his prints appeared regularly in the Revue Blanche and brought him an international audience.
- 1898Aged 33, produced a series of woodcuts on the Dreyfus Affair that established him as one of the most politically engaged graphic artists in France; the images circulated widely in the press.
- 1899Aged 34, married Gabrielle Rodrigues-Henriques, the widowed daughter of the art dealer Bernheim; the marriage brought financial security and French citizenship, and he became a partner in the Bernheim-Jeune gallery.
- 1915Aged 50, visited the Western Front and produced the C'est la guerre woodcut series; the six prints depicting the industrial anonymity of modern warfare rank among the most powerful anti-war images of the twentieth century.
- 1925Died in Paris aged 60 following surgery; left behind an extraordinary range of work spanning woodcuts, paintings, and a published novel, all marked by the same cold precision and psychological unease.
Notable Works
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Félix Vallotton prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Félix Vallotton's body of work.
Salue d'abord, c'est l'auto de la Préfecture - Félix Vallotton
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Dostoiewski - Félix Vallotton
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The Demonstration - Félix Vallotton
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Le Poker - Félix Vallotton
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The Squall (Le Coup de Vent) - Félix Vallotton
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Ex-Libris A. Hahnloser - Félix Vallotton
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See all Félix Vallotton prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Felix vallotton art style?
Vallotton's style encompassed a wide range of influences, including Pointillism, Naturalism, and late Impressionism inspired by Hodler. He also drew influence from Japanese woodcuts, and after the turn of the century, his works moved towards modern art with neo-realistic and Expressionist elements. He was also a member of the Nabis, a group of late nineteenth-century French painters.How did Félix Vallotton die?
Félix Vallotton died the day after his sixtieth birthday.What art movement was Félix Vallotton part of?
Félix Vallotton was associated with Art Nouveau, Impressionism, Nabis, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism.What is Félix Vallotton known for?
Vallotton is known for his woodcuts from the 1890s, which helped revive the medium. His series Intimites, comprising ten prints, depicts private moments in married life, often focusing on adultery and loneliness. He also used photography as source material for his paintings, manipulating compositions to create fictionalised versions of reality.What was Félix Vallotton's art style?
Vallotton's art style encompassed elements of Art Nouveau, Impressionism, and Symbolism, and he was associated with the Nabis and Post-Impressionism movements. His woodcuts are flat and graphic, with a psychological sharpness. His paintings often featured a smooth, clinical finish, even in nudes, still lifes and landscapes.When did Félix Vallotton die?
Félix Vallotton died in 1925 at the age of 60.When was Félix Vallotton born?
Félix Vallotton was born in 1865 in Switzerland. Félix Vallotton died in 1925, aged 60.Who was Félix Vallotton?
Félix Vallotton was a Swiss artist associated with several art movements, including Art Nouveau, Impressionism, and the Nabis. Called the Foreign Nabi, Vallotton's temperament was more detached than his Parisian contemporaries, and he focused on interpersonal dynamics in his art. He also wrote novels and plays, though none were published during his lifetime.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Félix Vallotton.
- [1] academic Félix Vallotton | Swiss-born French Painter & Graphic Artist | Britannica Used for: biography.
- [2] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography.
- [3] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [4] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
- [5] museum Crowds and Power in a Woodcut by Félix Vallotton - Guggenheim Museum Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [6] museum Félix Vallotton. Laziness (La Paresse). 1896 | MoMA Used for: notable works.
- [7] museum Félix Vallotton | National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [8] museum Félix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet | The Metropolitan Museum of Art Used for: exhibition history.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-28. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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