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 Suzanne Valadon (; 23 September 1865 – 7 April 1938) was a French painter who was born Marie-Clémentine Valadon at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France. In 1894, Valadon became the first woman painter admitted to the . She was also the ...

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. From the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of ...

. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Works

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

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

, 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'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. 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 Berthe Weill (Paris 1865 – 1951) was a French art dealer who played a vital role in the creation of the market for twentieth-century art with the manifestation of the Parisian Avant-Garde. Although she is much less known than her well-establi ...

. 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 art exhibition, exhibition of the work of only one artist. Rather than a group of artists who collaborate to form an exhibition. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photogr ...

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 The (; ) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the Exposition Universelle (1900), 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

museum in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. 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 palace of the bishop of Albi Cathedr ...

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

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