Christian Bérard (20 August 1902 – 11 February 1949), also known as Bebè, was a French artist,

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

. Bérard and his lover

Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer, and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His father served as a colonel in the hussars. He studied at ...

, who worked for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

and was also co-founder of the Ballets des Champs-Elysées, were one of the most prominent openly

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

couples in French theater during the 1930s and 1940s.

Early life

Born 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 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1902, Bérard studied at the

Lycée Janson de Sailly In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

as a child. In 1920, he entered the Academie Ranson, where his style was influenced by

Édouard Vuillard Jean-Édouard Vuillard (; 11 November 186821 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist, and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, Vuillard was a member of the avant garde artistic group Les Nabis, creating paintings that assembled areas ...

and

Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, ...

Career

Bérard showed his first exhibition in 1925, at the Gallery Pierre. From the start of his career, he had an interest in theatrical scenery and costume designs, and played an important role in the development of theatrical design in the 1930s and 1940s. In the early 1930s, Bérard worked with Jean-Michel Frank, painting screens, wood-work and drawing projects for carpets. In 1935, his friend Solange d'Ayen helped ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' magazine editor-in-chief

Edna Woolman Chase Edna Woolman Chase (; March 14, 1877 – March 21, 1957) was an American who served as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' magazine from 1914 to 1952. Early life Chase was born on March 14, 1877, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She was the daughter of F ...

persuade him to work for ''Vogue'' as a fashion illustrator. He also worked as a fashion illustrator for

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and Businessperson, businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with populari ...

Elsa Schiaparelli Elsa Schiaparelli ( , , ; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian fashion designer from an Italian nobility, aristocratic background. She created the Schiaparelli (fashion house), house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she ...

, and Nina Ricci. Bérard's most renowned achievement was probably his lustrous, magical designs for

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

's film '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946). Bérard died suddenly from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 11 February 1949, on the stage of the

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny () is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnie ...

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

's ''

Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary that portrays her suffering as mother during the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Saba ...

'' (1950) was composed in his memory, and Jean Cocteau dedicated his film '' Orphée'' (1950) to him.

References

External links

*
Christian Berard - The French artist who epitomised eccentric glamour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berard, Christian 1902 births 1949 deaths Painters from Paris Donaldson Award winners French illustrators Fashion illustrators 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French gay artists Ballets Russes and descendants Gay painters French LGBTQ painters Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century French LGBTQ people