Jules Marie Auguste Leroux (14 April 1871 – 26 March 1954) was a French painter and illustrator.

Biography

Jules Marie Auguste Leroux was born in the 3rd arrondissement of

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 ...

on 14 April 1871, during the Commune. His father, Gustav Ferdinand Leroux, was a publisher of prints established at 43 rue Saint-André-des-Arts. The family had its roots in the neighborhood of

Coutances Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. History The capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius ...

(

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

), in the village of

Trelly Trelly () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Quettreville-sur-Sienne.École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (; ÉnsAD) also known as Arts Decos' and École des Arts décoratifs, is a public grande école of art and design, constituent member of PSL Research University. The school is located in the R ...

where he studied drawing nudes from models and after academics. He was forced work on fashion drawings and illustrations for children. In 1892 he was then admitted to the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

on the

Rue Bonaparte The Rue Bonaparte () is a street in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It spans the Quai Voltaire/Quai Malaquais to the Jardin du Luxembourg, crossing the Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Place Saint-Sulpice and has housed many of France's mos ...

, where he studied in the studio of

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 ...

(1833-1922). Anatole France par Leroux

He won many successes including the 3rd drawing Medal in January 1892, the 2nd Medal in July and the 2nd Medal in November of that year. He did his military service with the 46th Infantry at

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

. Back in Paris in September 1893, he won the prize for figure drawing in November 1893 and the prize for torso in March 1894. He remained with the school until he was aged 23. He won the first

Grand Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in June 1894 with ''Judith presenting the Head of Holofernes to the people of Bethulia''. (Painting preserved at the National School of Fine Arts of Paris). He left for

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for three years of study at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

from 1895 to 1898, accompanied by the painter Adolphe Déchenaud and musician

Henri Rabaud Henri Benjamin Rabaud (10 November 187311 September 1949) was a French conductor, composer and teacher, who held important posts in the French musical establishment and upheld mainly conservative trends in French music in the first half of the t ...

. At the villa, he met the musician

Henri Büsser Paul Henri Büsser (16 January 1872 – 30 December 1973) was a French classical composer, organist, conductor and teacher. Among his teachers were César Franck, Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet. In addition to his own compositions Büsser edi ...

, with whom he befriended and whose portrait he painted. He exhibited at the Salon of French artists from the beginning of the year 1898. He earned a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

at the

Universal Exhibition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

in Paris in 1900. In 1906, he married Clotilde Morel. In 1908 he moved with his wife to a large house in the Quartier du Petit-Montrouge, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, Villa d'Alesia. The top floor of the house, covered with a large glass roof, naturally became his workshop. He would live there until the end of his life surrounded by his wife and three children. He was a professor at the

in Paris for 30 years, a jury member of the committee of French Artists Society in 1904, an art teacher at the

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière () is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the A ...

, and was made a knight of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. Auguste Leroux died in Paris on 26 March 1954. The sculptor

Claude Grange Claude Grange (born 23 September 1883 in Vienne, Isère, Vienne – died 22 September 1971 in Paris) was a French sculptor. Biography Claude Grange was a sculptor, born in Vienne, Isère, Vienne in Isère on 23 September 1883 and who died in ...

, President of the

Institute of France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately 1 ...

, pronounced his eulogy on 31 March 1954. A plate decorated with a medallion portrait by Spanish sculptor Enrique Pérez Comendador is affixed to his house at 11 Villa d'Alesia. A major retrospective exhibition of his works was held at the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

from 21 May to 12 June 1955.

Reception

Leroux exhibited in several galleries in Paris including the Galerie Allard, Galerie Georges Petit,

Galerie Charpentier The Galerie Charpentier was a gallery of historic and contemporary art in 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 ...

and Galerie Mona Lisa. He also executed the plans of several public buildings and created some images for the mosaic of the Church of the Sacred Heart of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

. These were four characters for the Lady Chapel: Saint Dominic de Guzmán,

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercian Order. Bernard was ...

John Eudes John Eudes, CIM (; 14 November 1601 – 19 August 1680) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest and the founder of both the Order of Our Lady of Charity in 1641 and Congregation of Jesus and Mary, also known as the Eudists, in 16 ...

and Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort. Auguste Leroux was a great success as an illustrator of works by authors such as

Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...

and

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Raoul Serres, Florian and Perrichon. His first works were full of symbolism and art nouveau mixed with many references to mythological and allegorical subjects. His later works show greater academic rigor and an obvious fascination for the female anatomy. They are now sought after by fans, especially his portraits and his ballerinas. Recently, several paintings by Auguste Leroux were sold on the market following the public sale of his studio by his descendants.

Family

Younger brother

His younger brother Georges Paul Leroux (3 August 1877 – 16 February 1957) was also a brilliant artist who won the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in painting in 1906 and was a member of the

Académie des beaux-arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

Children

Auguste Leroux had three children, each of whom received complete training as artists and became well known in their own right. Madeleine Leroux (Magdalena De Perez Leroux Comendador) (Paris, 1902 – Hervás, 1984) studied with her father and with Ferdinand Humbert at the

in Paris. She exhibited at the age of 21 at the

Salon des Artistes Français The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

(1923 – Summer Evening at the Carrousel).reproduit dans

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...

du 11 mai 1935 - N°4810 She won a Gold Medal at the Salon of French artists in 1926 and the Prix de Rome in 1927. She continued her training at the

Casa de Velázquez The ''Casa de Velázquez'' is a French school in Spain modelled on the Villa Médicis in Rome, and Villa Abd-el-Tif in Algeria.''75 aniversario de la Casa de Velázquez. Memoria gráfica 1928-2003'', Madrid, Casa de Velázquez, 2006, 182 p. - acc ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, and in 1931 married in Paris the Spanish sculptor Enrique Pérez Comendador (1900–1981). She pursued a successful career in Spain with her husband (exhibitions in Madrid,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Paris,

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

....). A museum is entirely devoted to her in

Hervás Hervás (; ) is a Spanish town in the north of the province of Cáceres. It had 3,907 inhabitants in 2023. It is 120 km from Cáceres and 90 km far from Salamanca. It is the capital of the Valle de Ambroz comarca in the Ambroz River ...

, in the

province of Cáceres The province of Cáceres (; ; ; ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Plasencia, Coria, Navalm ...

. Lucienne Leroux (1903–1981) was a pupil of her father and Ferdinand Humbert at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She won the Prix de Rome in 1926 with ''The Family'', Silver medal at the Salon of French artists in 1924, Gold medal at the Paris International Exhibition in 1937. She was a resident of the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid in 1935. Painter of composition, classical influence (''Vénus chez Vulcain''), her touch is sometimes more impressionistic (''On the River'' – 1920). Spain was a great source of inspiration for her, shown in paintings such as ''View of Toledo''. She was a teacher in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

and then in Paris. Until his death she had extreme admiration for her brother, André. André Leroux (Paris, 1911 –

Nogent-sur-Marne Nogent-sur-Marne () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a ''Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture'' of the Val-de-Marne ''Depar ...

, 1997)See his self-portrait of 1925 and the article was a pupil of his father and of Peter and

Paul Albert Laurens Paul Albert Laurens (18 January 1870 - 27 September 1934) was a French painter. Biography Laurens was the eldest son of painter Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921), who was of humble origins, and his wife, Madeleine Willemsens (1848-1913). Laurens w ...

. At 18, he was received at the first entrance exam of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. At the age of 23 his painting ''The Eternal Epic'' earned him the congratulations of President

Albert Lebrun Albert François Lebrun (; 29 August 1871 – 6 March 1950) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1932 to 1940. He was the last president of the Third Republic. He was a member of the centre-right Democratic Republica ...

. He won the Leguay-Lebrun prize of the Institute of France and Great Gold Medal. A painter of figures and of history, still lifes (''Bouquet of Peonies'' 1968), portraits (''Antonio Madrid'' 1946; ''Portrait of Manuela del Rio'' 1947), his classicism and romanticism (1930 ''Serenity'') are far removed from the art movements of his day. With virtuosity, knowledge of composition, hard work: the desire for perfection was his only concern. He spent four years over ''The Eternal Epic''. Among his major works were: ''David victorious over Goliath'' - 1932; ''Christ at the Sepulchre'' - 1933 ''Ophelia'' - 1934; ''Into the Light'' - 1936; ''Phantom of Glory'' - 1938 (after a poem by

Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...

). He was appointed professor at the National School of Fine Arts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leroux, Auguste 1871 births 1954 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 19th-century French male artists