Paul Vera (1882–1957) was a French painter, designer and pioneer of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style. He is known for his collaboration on garden designs with his brother

André Vera André Vera (1881–1971) was a French garden designer, town planner and pioneer of the Art Deco style. He is known for his collaboration with his brother, the painter and decorator Paul Vera. He wanted to renew French design, which he felt had b ...

Life

Paul Vera was born in Paris in 1882. His father was Gustave Lėon Vera, an architect, and his older brother André became a garden designer. He was raised in Paris, and became interested in painting while still young. He would often go with Louis Abel-Truchet, an artist, on excursions to paint ''

en plein air ''En plein air'' (; French language, French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein ai ...

''. He studied painting for ten years, first at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

, then the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

and finally at the

Académie Ranson The Académie Ranson was a private art school founded in 1908 in Paris by the French painter Paul Ranson (1862–1909). History The Académie Ranson was founded in 1908 by Paul Ranson (1862–1909), who himself studied at the Académie Jul ...

. In 1904 he exhibited for the first time at the Salon d'Automne. He was a friend of the artists

Roger de La Fresnaye Roger de La Fresnaye (; 11 July 1885 – 27 November 1925) was a French Cubist painter. Early years and education La Fresnaye was born in Le Mans where his father, an officer in the French army, was temporarily stationed. The La Fresnayes were ...

and

André Mare Charles André Mare (1885–1932), or André-Charles Mare, was a French painter and textile designer, and co-founder of the Company of French Art (''la Compagnie des Arts Français'') in 1919. He was a designer of colorful textiles, and was one o ...

of the Puteaux Group. Paul was influenced by cubism based on the mathematical principles of the

golden ratio In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their summation, sum to the larger of the two quantities. Expressed algebraically, for quantities and with , is in a golden ratio to if \fr ...

. The Vera brothers collaborated on formal, geometric garden designs in the

style. This style originated with the work of Louis Süe. The brothers joined with other artists to create ''L'Atelier Français'', a cooperative business that borrowed organizational idea from the Wiener Werkstätte. The other members included Louis Süe, André Groult,

Gustave Louis Jaulmes Gustave Louis Jaulmes (14 April 1873 – 7 January 1959) was an eclectic French artist who followed the neoclassical trend in the Art Deco movement. He created monumental frescoes, paintings, posters, illustrations, cartoons for tapestries and car ...

(1873–1959), Roger de La Fresnaye and André Mare. André Vera wrote a manifesto that defined the goal of the group as combining traditional and modern ideas to bring clarity, order and aesthetic unity to interior design. During

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 ...

(1914–18) Vera served in the army's camouflage corps, making covers for observation posts and artillery. After the war he joined the ''Compagnie des Arts Français'', which Louis Süe and André Mare had founded as a successor to the ''Atalier Français''. Vera became a decorator for the company, mainly painting the decorations on objects that others had designed. He painted furniture, made wallpaper and textile patterns, printed illustrations and graphic designs, made sketches for tapestry and bas-relief panels. He used a limited number of geometrically abstracted designs drawn from plants, fountains and allegorical or mythical figures. Many of his works were shown in the two pavilions of the ''Compagnie des Arts Français'' at the 1925

International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts () was a specialized exhibition held in Paris, France, from April 29 (the day after it was inaugurated in a private ceremony by the President of France) to November 8, 1925 (O ...

in Paris. Vera also renewed the tapestry cartoons for the Aubusson workshops and the

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

and

Gobelins Gobelins may refer to: * Gobelin, the name of family of dyers, established from the 15th century * Gobelins Manufactory, a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France * The 13th arrondissement of Paris, an administrative district containing the Go ...

manufacturies. He also drew ceramics for the ''

Manufacture nationale de Sèvres The ''Manufacture nationale de Sèvres'' () is one of the principal European porcelain factories. It is located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France. It is the continuation of Vincennes porcelain, founded in 1740, which moved to Sèvres in 1756. ...

''. Paul Vera settled in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

in 1920. The Municipal Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye has a large collection of Paul Vera's work, including watercolours, paintings, tapestries, wood engravings, ceramics and porcelain. Many of the items were donated to the city by André Vera. The ''Espace Paul and André Vera'' in Saint-Germain-en-Laye is used for temporary exhibitions of work by local and regional artists.

Life

Publications

Notes

Sources

Further reading