Pierre Prins (26 November 1838 – 21 January 1913) was a French painter, engraver and sculptor.

Biography

Pierre Prins was born on 26 November 1838, at the 7th arrondissement of Paris. He is the eldest son of his family. His family is a manufacturer and merchant of various goods, such as umbrellas, whips and swords. In 1851, his father disappeared in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Therefore, Mr Bourgeois, his maternal grandfather, make Prins an apprentice in his workshop. As he is passionate about sculpture, his mother suggested him to enrol an art class. He then enrolled in a school of art in 1861. His mother died in the same year. Later he met

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

through his sister Pauline, a close friend of Manet's wife, Suzanne Leenhoff. In 1869, after he bought his maternal grandfather's workshop, he married Fanny Claus, a violinist and one of the figures in Manet's

The Balcony ''The Balcony'' () is a Play (theatre), play by the French people, French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that ...

, with Manet as a witness. In 1871, the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

forced the couple to close their workshop. Therefore, they fled to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. They returned to Paris in the next year. Yet, his wife, Fanny Claus was suffering from illness. He had to sell everything to pay the medical fee. With the help of the Manet couple in 1873, Prins can go to work. In 1874, Prins participated in the creation of the Society of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers and decided to move to

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

with his wife. Before leaving, he sent twelve of his paintings to his childhood friend, the sculptor Émile Philippe Scailliet, so that he can hand the paintings to

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedic ...

, who must deposit them at the workshop of

Nadar Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (; 5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), known by the pseudonym Nadar () or Félix Nadar'','' was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloon (aircraft), balloonist, and proponent of History of avi ...

for their first exhibition, which took place from 15 April 1874 to 15 May 1874. The couple later returned to Paris in 1875. In 1876, Pierre Prins restores ancient ivories for the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, and went to paint in the countryside on the side of Bas-Meudon, at

Île Seguin Île Seguin (, ''Seguin Island'') is an island on the Seine river between Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres, in the west suburbs of Paris, France. It has a surface area of approximately 11.5 hectares (28 acres), and is positioned opposite Meudon ...

. His wife, Fanny Claus-Prins, passed away in 1877, at the age of 31. In 1890, Prins had his first one-man exhibition of works. Other than that, his works were also exhibited regularly at different salons. Prins died on 21 January 1913, the day before the opening of the 10th Exhibition of the Painters of Modern Paris at La Boetie gallery in Paris. He was buried at Ivry Cemetery,

Ivry-sur-Seine Ivry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Paris's main Asian district, the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th arrondissement, borders the ...

Style

His paintings are mainly painted by the heavy use of pastel and coarse-grained coloured paper. He is also focused in the natural landscape, leaving the urban scenery untouched.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prins, Pierre 1838 births 1913 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters Painters from Paris French Impressionist painters Burials at Ivry Cemetery 19th-century French male artists