Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007) was a French
painter
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
Normandy
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Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, from a
Picard
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* Picard (name), a list of people and fictional characters with th ...
lawyer father, a member of the Saint Francis third order, and from a Parisian mother, of Burgundian ancestry. Until the age of twelve Maurice Boitel lived in Burgundy at Gevrey-Chambertin. In this beautiful province his art reflected his major love of nature, and also the feeling of ''
joie de vivre
( , ; " joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness.
It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ' ...
'' expressed in his works. He began drawing at the age of five.
Fine arts studies
Boitel studied at the Fine Arts schools of
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
and of
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
, cities where his parents lived for a few years. Then his family came back to Burgundy, to
before fighting in a mountain light infantry platoon at the beginning of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
He successfully sat the competitive examination to enter the National Academy of Fine Arts
(Paris). In 1942 and 1943, during the most difficult period of the German occupation, in his studio located in the center of Paris he hid
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish refugees, among them the journalist Henry Jelinek.
A great number of his paintings from between 1942 and 1946 were bought by a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
collector and are still in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
with Marie-Lucie, his wife, and his son. On his return from
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
he exhibited in Paris in the exhibitions of the Young Painters, Jeune Peinture, Independent Artists,
(Paris), where he presented biennial individual exhibitions during twenty years.
*In 1959, he won the Winsor & Newton (Paris-London) award;
*During the fifties, he was commissioned to decorate two educational state establishments: in Montreuil-sous-Bois (
Seine-Saint-Denis
() is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobi ...
Essonne
Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Puvis de Chavannes award, decreed by the National Society of Fine Arts, enabled him to exhibit all of his works at the Museum of Modern art of Paris.
*In 1966, he received the Francis Smith award which offers a stay in Portugal ( Peniche, Óbidos).
*In 1968, he received the French Artists Gold Medal and the Academy of Fine Arts decrees the Bastien Lepage Prize to him.
*In 1980, 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 ...
gave him the Dumas-Milliers award.
*Different other awards come to crown his career of painter, among which the Grand-Prix (Great award) of the General Council of
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
(1974), the Prize Roger Deverin watercolour decided by the Taylor Foundation (1984).
*Individual exhibitions, in the museums of the following towns: Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1976,
Montreuil-sur-Mer
Montreuil-sur-Mer (; or ; ), Montreuil-on-the-Sea, is a subprefecture in the Pas-de-Calais Department in northern France. Though commonly called by this name since at least the twelfth century, it was legally known as Montreuil until 31 Decemb ...
in 1993, enabled him to present in several rooms, of the retrospectives with large tables where appear of the compositions as well as landscapes of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, etc.
*In 1990, the ''Salon d'Automne'' of Paris voted him a homage in three halls of the
Burgundy
Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
).
He was the guest of honor in several exhibitions of painting like: Rosny-sous-Bois (1980), Blois (1983), Wimereux (1984), Villeneuve-le-Roi (1984), Yvetot (1986), Alfortville (1987), Bourges (1987), Saumur (1987), Metz (1991), Limoges (1992), Tours (1992).
Maurice Boitel died on August 11, 2007, in Audresselles,
Pas-de-Calais
The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...
.
Legacy
The municipality 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 ...
gave its name to the walk which surrounds the lake Daumesnil in 2014 and the municipality of Audresselles in the path which lines the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
in 2008.
Some municipalities gave the name of Maurice Boitel to a street or a monument:
*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 ...
: "Promenade Maurice Boitel" of a mile and half long, around the Daumesnil lake, Paris 12th arrondissement.
*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 ...
:marble panel on the wall of the building where he had his studio: "Here lived and worked Maurice Boitel,..."
*in Audresselles (
Pas-de-Calais
The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...
), along the sea-side, "Maurice boitel allee".
* In Conches-sur-Gondoire (center of
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
), along the church, "espace familial Maurice Boitel" ( familial leisure space Maurice Boitel).
* The council of Ambazac,
, gave the name of Maurice Boitel to the city hall square. The inauguration occurred on August 11, 2017. The town council ordered the reproduction on canvas of ten pictures of the painter, for decorating the town buildings. They are exhibited in the townhall from August 1 to October 15, 2017.
in particular and also in the town council hall of Paris and in French embassies around the world.
Ceramics and frescoes (1953 and 1955):
*
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
Seine-Saint-Denis
() is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobi ...
county)
* and Jean-Charles Gatinot school, in Montgeron (
Essonne
Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. From 1952 to 1965, his landscapes were very constructed, the objects defined by black contours with some flat tints in the knife. During this period, he initially painted close to his home in Paris and
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionAudresselles, or in Ambazac, in the
Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
. The Paris area, where he usually resided, also provided him many subjects (Montmartre, the Bois de Vincennes, islands of the Seine river, the Marne, Guermantes and Conches-sur-Gondoire ). During the eighties, he tended to evoke an idealized reality.
(1945–1965) by Lydia Harambourg. Dictionary of the painters. Collection Ides and Calendes (1993) Switzerland.
* Art Gallery collection Japanese woman 1997 - printed in Japan
* Promenade autour de l'Art contemporain (walk around
contemporary art
Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
, Paris.
* "Voyages en Italie, carnet de croquis de Maurice Boitel"
collection terre des peintres - 3 avenue Percier 75008 Paris - ed. Compagnie Internationale de Banque.