Adrien Karbowsky (15 December 1855 – 14 March 1945) was a French painter, decorator and architect.
He is known for his Art Nouveau murals and tapestry designs.
Life
Adrien Karbowsky was born on 15 December 1855.
He was a pupil of
Jean-Baptiste Lavastre
Jean-Baptiste Lavastre (24 August 1839 – 24 April 1891) was a French landscape painter and scenic designer.
Biography
A student of Édouard Desplechin as soon as 1854 when he was only fifteen (and then his associate from 1864 to 1870), ...
, who decorated the
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...
, and of Justin Lequien.
Karbowski also studied under
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beau ...
.
His ''Le bras Mignot, Ã Poissy'' was exhibited at the
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon ...
of the ''
Société des Artistes Français'' in 1881 in the Palais des Champs-Élysées, Paris.
On 1 May 1886 his ''Calendrier républicain'' was shown at the Salon.
At the Salon of 1889 he received an honorable mention.
Karbowsky became a leading decorator in the
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...
style.
He collaborated with
Frantz Jourdain and Puvis de Chavannes.
Karbowsky was made a knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
in 1902.
He became a member of the ''Société de l'Art à L'École'', founded in 1906 with the aim of improving public taste by teaching public school students about art and decorating the schools.
A reviewer for ''
American Art News'' wrote in February 1918,
In 1923 Karbowsky was among the 27 dissenting members of the board of the ''
Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts'' who formed a new and more eclectic Salon with the encouragement of the Minister of Fine Arts. The plan was to exhibit paintings and sculptures ranging in style from the most conservative to the most advanced. The Salon would be held in springtime, at the peak season for visitors to Paris.
Adrien Karbowsky died on 14 March 1945, aged 89.
Selected works
Karbowsky contributed decorative tapestry designs for the ''
Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins
The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...
''.
He also designed tapestries for the ''
Manufacture Nationale de Tapisseries de Beauvais''.
He designed the decorative silk tapestries in pink for the ''Salon du Bois'' in the Museum of Decorative Arts, opened in 1900 in the Pavilion de Marsan of the Louvre Palace.
Murals include:
*1893: Decorative murals in the
Château de Verteuil, Charente, whose library Jourdain remodelled in 1893.
*1903–07: With
Louis Jaulmes, murals for the
Villa Kerylos in Cap-Ferrat, as directed by the Hellenic scholar
Théodore Reinach, in mythological scenes often copied from Attic pottery.
*1909: Also with Jaulmes, decoration of the dining room of the exclusive Hôtel Royal in
Évian-les-Bains
Évian-les-Bains (), or simply Évian ( frp, Èvian, , or ), is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 9,100.
A high-market holiday ...
.
*Frescoes for the dining room of the Hôtel Lutétia in Paris and the Hôtel de Ville in
Nogent-sur-Marne.
*1920s Decoration of the Domaine de Montaigu in
Nancy in collaboration with the local architect Pierre le Bourgeon. The house had been purchased in 1920 by the Salin family, but had burned down. It was restored using new techniques such as reinforced concrete and a metal framework.
*1925: Stenciled paintings for ''La Maison Commune du Chemin Vert'' in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded ...
, a theater inaugurated in February 1925
*Murals for the dining room of the Prince of Monaco.
Salons and exhibitions

* 1881:
Salon des artistes français
* 1886: Salon of the Société des artistes français
* 1900:
Exposition Universelle of Paris
Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to:
*Universal exposition or World's Fair
*Expository writing
**Exposition (narrative)
*Exposition (music)
*Trade fair
* ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio
*Exposi ...
* 1907: Salon La Nationale des beaux-arts : ''Mimosas et faïences''
* 1910:
Brussels International
* 1913:
Salon de la Société nationale des beaux-arts : ''Musiciens''
* 1923:
Salon des Tuileries The Salon des Tuileries was an annual art exhibition for painting and sculpture, created June 14, 1923, co-founded by painters Albert Besnard and Bessie Davidson, sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, architect Auguste Perret, and others.
The first year' ...
* 1928: Galerie Ecalle, 3 Faubourg-Saint-Honoré à Paris
* 1945: Salon des Tuileries : ''Rétrospective de l'Œuvre d'Adrien Karbowsky''
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Karbowsky, Adrien
1855 births
1945 deaths
19th-century French painters
French male painters
20th-century French painters
20th-century French male artists
19th-century French male artists