André Devambez

His father Édouard, an engraver, founded the famous 'Maison Devambez' publishing house in Paris. Growing up in this artistic environment, André aspired to be an artist from an early age.¹

In 1890, he won the Prix de Rome for 'The Denial of Peter' and studied at the Villa Medici for five years. During this time, he used a camera to pose for his own paintings, integrating new technology.¹

A versatile illustrator as well as a painter, he provided humorous illustrations for Zola's novels and children's books, transforming everyday scenes into something whimsical and fun.¹

His masterpiece 'The Charge' dramatically depicts a clash between police and strikers from above. Ironically, though he sympathized with the strikers, the painting hung in the office of the Police Prefect.¹

He created 12 panels of 'modern inventions' like the metro and planes for the French Embassy in Vienna. Delayed by scandal, they were finally installed in their intended location in 1993.¹

During WWI, he volunteered for a camouflage unit at the front. Despite being seriously wounded in the leg and eye in 1915, he later published an album of etchings depicting the grim reality of war.¹

As a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1929, he was the first to open his atelier to female students, significantly impacting the art world by expanding educational access.¹

Due to his interest in aviation, he was appointed the first official painter of the Air Ministry in 1934. He captured biplanes above clouds from directly overhead, blending fantasy with realism.¹

For the 1937 Paris Expo, he painted a grand panorama from the Eiffel Tower's second level. Using the official 'Expo Blue,' he masterfully captured the festive spirit of the modern city.¹