André Utter (20 March 1886 – 7 February 1948) was a French painter. He was born in the 18th arrondissement of Paris to parents of Alsatian origin. He is best known for having been the second husband and manager of French painter Suzanne Valadon and the step-father of her son,

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painte ...

. The trio have also been called the ''trinité maudite'' (cursed trinity) because of their quarrels, reconciliations, and alcoholism.

Life

In 1906, Utter was introduced to Suzanne Valadon by his friend Maurice Utrillo, her son. Utter became her first male model, posing nude for her from 1909 to 1914. He is portrayed as Adam in Valadon's 1909 painting ''Adam et Ève''.Doll, p.206 Utter became Valadon's lover in 1913. The couple married shortly before Utter was drafted into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914. When he returned to civilian life in 1918, he took over the management of the careers of both Valadon and Maurice Utrillo. In 1934, the couple divorced; nonetheless, he remained part of her life until she died four years later. He is buried with Valadon in the Saint Ouen cemetery in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Works

From 1910, Utter produced numerous landscape paintings, and in particular, of rue Cortot where his studio was located. Inspired by

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

, his work took on a softer tone after

. After 1925, his work consisted mainly of portraits and still lifes. He also painted theatre sets. In 1925, he illustrated the "Théâtre à lire" by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. Between 1915 and 1922 and again from 1925 and 1932, he exhibited his work in several joint exhibitions in Paris, including in the gallery of Berthe Weill. Throughout their marriage, Utter regularly exhibited his work together with Suzanne Valadon. He had a

solo exhibition A solo show or solo exhibition is an exhibition of the work of only one artist. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photography. The creator of any artistic technique may be the subject of a solo show. Other s ...

in Geneva in 1932, but was not successful as a painter. One of André Utter's best-known works is ''Suzanne Valadon se coiffant'' (Suzanne Valadon combing her hair), painted in 1913 and displayed in the Petit Palais museum in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. Other works are displayed in many museums including the Brou museum in Bourg-en-Bresse; the museum of fine arts in Lyon; the modern art museum of Troyes and the musée d'art moderne et contemporain in Strasbourg. André Utter, Portrait de Suzanne Valadon.jpg, ''Portrait de Suzanne Valadon'', by André Utter, 1921 (Albi) Nature morte au tabouret - André Utter MTL.420.jpg, ''Nature morte au tabouret'', by André Utter,

Musée Toulouse-Lautrec The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is an art museum in Albi, southern France, dedicated mainly to the work of the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec who was born in Albi. The 13th century building was originally the Bishop's Palace of Albi Cathedral, nex ...

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig� ...

Coupe de fruits André Utter.jpg, ''Coupe de fruits'' (1911), by André Utter, musée des Beaux-Arts de Brest

References

Bibliography

* * * Martine Willot, Bertrand Willot, Michèle Michy-Quizet, Alphonse Quizet et ses amis, 1955–2005, il y a cinquante ans disparaissaient Alphonse Quizet et Maurice Utrillo, La Vie d'artiste AWD, 2005 (). * 1886 births 1948 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists People of Montmartre Suzanne Valadon 19th-century French male artists {{France-painter-19thC-stub