Their names are Louise Abbéma, Madeleine Smith, Juana Romani, Ottilie Roederstein, Marie Petiet… Artists and women of the Belle Époquethey have in common that they were formed with the painter Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905) and to be today, for the most part, complete unknowns in the eyes of the general public.
The works of around ten of them are exhibited until April 28 at the Jean-Jacques Henner museumwhere their journey is thus highlighted, which says everything about the condition of female painters of the Belle Époque… And at the same time reveals a little-known part of Henner’s career: his role as teacher.
A long investigative work
It has been more than three years since the Henner Museum teams, supported by a scientific committee, investigated the fate of these women passed through the “ladies’ workshop”where the painter taught. The task was enormous. “We have not found a student register, nor class photos like those we know from the Académie Julian,” regrets Maëva Abillard, curator of the museum.
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