The National galleries of the Grand Palais have been holding a retrospective exhibition of works by Honoré Daumier, France's most famous caricaturist during the 19th Century, until January 3rd 2000. Daumier died on February 10th 1879 almost forgotten despite the fact that
Dr Gachet had tried to come to his help five years earlier in organising a sale of some of his works alongside those of Manet, Degas, Guillaumin, Cézanne or Sisley.
His friends paid homage to the artist who had become almost blind by organising a personal exhibition at the Durand-Ruel gallery a few months before his death but the event only attracted some twenty visitors.
Daumier had come to Paris in 1815 and had started to work as a delivery boy and then as an employee in a book store not far from the Louvre museum which he used to visit to produce copies of old masters.
Daumier then worked under a painter named Alexandre Lenoir with whom he shared a passion for Titian and Rubens. He the studied the art of engraving with Zéphirin Belliard and became an active Republican militant as he took part in the Revolution of 1830 during which he received a head wound in fighting.
The artist went on to produce satirical drawings and sculptures in the anti-monarchist newspaper «La Caricature». In 1831, Daumier was already famous with his series of «Gargantua» in which he denounced King Louis-Philippe. As a result he received a fine and a six month prison sentence for fuelling hatred against the ruling government.
Daumier was undeterred and produced new anti-government caricatures with his series «the Court of King Petaud» which led to his jailing.
The artist found no respite in attacking many ruling regimes from the abdication of King Louis-Philippe until the end of the reign of Emperor Napoleon III.
Daumier also depicted Parisian life with much ferocity and painted some forceful works showing open air art stalls, washerwomen or street scenes which were much admired by Millet, Corot or Delacroix.
Daumier also influenced such artists as Manet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne, Rouault and even Picasso.
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