Michel de Sereville
Encyclopedia
Michel de Séréville, a French artist, was born in Saumur
, France
28 April 1922, and died February 23, 2006 in Paris
.
region. His father was a colonel in the military regiment of “Cadre Noir”, and his mother was an artist and musician.
After studying architecture at the School of fine arts (l'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts) in 1941, Michel de Séréville entered the world of the ballet dancing. Noticed by Alexandre Volinine of the Russian Ballet
, the dancing partner of the famous Anna Pavlova, Séréville quickly became a professional dancer, dancing with the Great Ballet of the Marquis de Cuevas, the Modern Company of Ballet of Paris, and the Ballet of Dirck Sanders at the Comédie-Française.
In 1953, a leg accident put an end to his dancing career. Around this time Séréville also advanced into theater and cinema. In 1954 he enjoyed several small performances with Laurent Terzieff and Jean-Marie Serreau and with Roger Blin and Michel Lonsdale at the Theater of Babylon (Garcia Lorca play). He played also a role in the Normandie-Niemen
movie.
All these years he was continuing his paintings and drawings. In 1956 he fully left all other activities behind, withdrawing to the loneliness of one of his workshop. In 1957 Séréville meets Henri Filipacchi who asks him to illustrate the covers of a new book collection: The Pocket Book (Livre de Poche).
The following years, more than four hundred covers and illustrations done by Séréville are published by famous publishing houses in France, including “Hachette”, “Plon”, “Fayard”, “La Table Ronde”, “JC Lattès”, and more. Over a period of 18 years, Michel de Séréville illustrated the works of Henri Troyat
, Graham Greene
, François Mauriac
, Simone de Beauvoir
, Alain Decaux
, Maurice Druon
(The Accursed Kings) and many others.
Michel de Séréville had many exhibitions all over the world including ones in France, the United States
, Russia
, Ukraine
, Belgium
, Germany
, Netherlands
, and Kenya
.
Significant exhibitions also included those: In 1966 in Kiev
, on invitation of the famous Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko
, in 1968 in Moscow on invitation of the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union, and in 1970 in Leningrad
, under the patronage of the famous Russian poet Andrey Voznesensky
.
In 1971 in Paris, Séréville had an exhibition at the Gallery “Chaillot Galliera”. In 1973, a personal exhibition at the Galerie P.C.B., presented by Jacques Tati, was followed with another personal exhibition at the Festival du Marais, Gallery Charles V.
In 1975, Pierre Emmanuel, who was directing the just created National institute of the audio-visual, offered Séréville a retrospective personal exhibition of the totality of his illustrated work of the past 18 years in one edition. Alexandre Tarta make a TV special about the exhibition that is subsequently presented on French TV “Antenne 2”, as well as on Soviet television.
In 1975 Séréville decides to cease all illustrative work in order to devote himself entirely to painting. Séréville likes to paint the sea and the wind, the trees and the figures whose expressions of waiting seem to be asking the audience questions.
Over the following years, he completes hundreds of paintings and shows them around the world: 1982 - Denver, Colorado, the USA, personal exhibition, Amparo Gallery; 1983-Koln
, Germany, personal exhibition, Gallery of the Art schools; 1984 - Valbonne, personal exhibition, Festival of Sophia-Antipolis; 1986 - Brussels
, personal exhibition, Gallery the Acute angle; 1987 - Netherlands, personal exhibition, Hillversum, Carleen Gallery;
In 1988, Michel de Séréville finally decides to present the totality of his work at the action house “Hotel Drouot”. A sale catalogue is also published at this time.
In 1989, he hosts exhibitions in Paris, Galerie Triangle, in 1995 in Denver, Colorado, the USA, in 1996 in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1997 in Pays Basque, in 1998 in Paris, Atelier of the Barn and permanent exhibition at the Gallery the Allies and in 1999 in Malaga, Spain, Galerie G. Van.
His last two exhibitions took place in 2003 in Nairobi
, Kenya, at the International School of Kenya
, and the French Cultural Center.
Michel de Séréville left us on February 22, 2006 and is buried in Mouguerre
, in the Basque country that he liked so much.
His friend Nadine Puissesseau wrote:
“Serene and solitary Man, Séréville carries in him the audacity and the calm anguish of the pure ones. Artist who does not circle in front of the goddess “mode”, which malevolent not with skill on “why” of such harlequin paints like if, in front of us, it was of passage or such landscape, seized at the moment even where the man is elsewhere, Séréville apprehends the life through the filter which one does not dare any more to call the heart. Because here we are. The single offering that these brown make us, these pinks, these blue encircled of black is to revive in us the true emotions.”
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
28 April 1922, and died February 23, 2006 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Biography
Michel de Séréville spent his childhood living between two different worlds: a medieval castle in a very remote area of Lorraine, lit by the soft presence of a grandmother, and an old family house “Lekueder” in the Basque CountryBasque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
region. His father was a colonel in the military regiment of “Cadre Noir”, and his mother was an artist and musician.
After studying architecture at the School of fine arts (l'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts) in 1941, Michel de Séréville entered the world of the ballet dancing. Noticed by Alexandre Volinine of the Russian Ballet
Russian ballet
Russian ballet is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. In the early 19th century, the theaters were opened up to anyone who could afford a ticket. There was a seating section called a rayok, or 'paradise gallery', that consisted of simple wooden benches...
, the dancing partner of the famous Anna Pavlova, Séréville quickly became a professional dancer, dancing with the Great Ballet of the Marquis de Cuevas, the Modern Company of Ballet of Paris, and the Ballet of Dirck Sanders at the Comédie-Française.
In 1953, a leg accident put an end to his dancing career. Around this time Séréville also advanced into theater and cinema. In 1954 he enjoyed several small performances with Laurent Terzieff and Jean-Marie Serreau and with Roger Blin and Michel Lonsdale at the Theater of Babylon (Garcia Lorca play). He played also a role in the Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
movie.
All these years he was continuing his paintings and drawings. In 1956 he fully left all other activities behind, withdrawing to the loneliness of one of his workshop. In 1957 Séréville meets Henri Filipacchi who asks him to illustrate the covers of a new book collection: The Pocket Book (Livre de Poche).
The following years, more than four hundred covers and illustrations done by Séréville are published by famous publishing houses in France, including “Hachette”, “Plon”, “Fayard”, “La Table Ronde”, “JC Lattès”, and more. Over a period of 18 years, Michel de Séréville illustrated the works of Henri Troyat
Henri Troyat
Henri Troyat was a Russian born French author, biographer, historian and novelist.-Biography:Troyat was born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov, in Moscow to parents of mixed heritage, including Armenian, Russian, German and Georgian...
, Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
, François Mauriac
François Mauriac
François Mauriac was a French author; member of the Académie française ; laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature . He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur .-Biography:...
, Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...
, Alain Decaux
Alain Decaux
Alain Decaux was born on 23 July 1925 in Lille, France. A historian by profession, he was elected to the Académie française on 15 February 1979.-Bibliography:* 1947 * 1949 ...
, Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française.Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans, a French Resistance anthem of World War II, with music and words originally by Anna Marly.In 1948...
(The Accursed Kings) and many others.
Michel de Séréville had many exhibitions all over the world including ones in France, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Significant exhibitions also included those: In 1966 in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, on invitation of the famous Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko is a Soviet and Russian poet. He is also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and a director of several films.-Early life:...
, in 1968 in Moscow on invitation of the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union, and in 1970 in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, under the patronage of the famous Russian poet Andrey Voznesensky
Andrey Voznesensky
Andrei Andreyevich Voznesensky was a Soviet and Russian poet and writer who had been referred to by Robert Lowell as "one of the greatest living poets in any language." He was one of the "Children of the '60s," a new wave of iconic Russian intellectuals led by the Khrushchev Thaw.Voznesensky was...
.
In 1971 in Paris, Séréville had an exhibition at the Gallery “Chaillot Galliera”. In 1973, a personal exhibition at the Galerie P.C.B., presented by Jacques Tati, was followed with another personal exhibition at the Festival du Marais, Gallery Charles V.
In 1975, Pierre Emmanuel, who was directing the just created National institute of the audio-visual, offered Séréville a retrospective personal exhibition of the totality of his illustrated work of the past 18 years in one edition. Alexandre Tarta make a TV special about the exhibition that is subsequently presented on French TV “Antenne 2”, as well as on Soviet television.
In 1975 Séréville decides to cease all illustrative work in order to devote himself entirely to painting. Séréville likes to paint the sea and the wind, the trees and the figures whose expressions of waiting seem to be asking the audience questions.
Over the following years, he completes hundreds of paintings and shows them around the world: 1982 - Denver, Colorado, the USA, personal exhibition, Amparo Gallery; 1983-Koln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
, Germany, personal exhibition, Gallery of the Art schools; 1984 - Valbonne, personal exhibition, Festival of Sophia-Antipolis; 1986 - Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, personal exhibition, Gallery the Acute angle; 1987 - Netherlands, personal exhibition, Hillversum, Carleen Gallery;
In 1988, Michel de Séréville finally decides to present the totality of his work at the action house “Hotel Drouot”. A sale catalogue is also published at this time.
In 1989, he hosts exhibitions in Paris, Galerie Triangle, in 1995 in Denver, Colorado, the USA, in 1996 in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1997 in Pays Basque, in 1998 in Paris, Atelier of the Barn and permanent exhibition at the Gallery the Allies and in 1999 in Malaga, Spain, Galerie G. Van.
His last two exhibitions took place in 2003 in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya, at the International School of Kenya
International School of Kenya
The International School of Kenya , is an international school for pre-kindergarten to grade 12 located on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in 1976 and has a 25 hectare campus. Students can study for a North American High school diploma or the International Baccalaureate Diploma...
, and the French Cultural Center.
Michel de Séréville left us on February 22, 2006 and is buried in Mouguerre
Mouguerre
Mouguerre is a village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-External links:...
, in the Basque country that he liked so much.
His friend Nadine Puissesseau wrote:
“Serene and solitary Man, Séréville carries in him the audacity and the calm anguish of the pure ones. Artist who does not circle in front of the goddess “mode”, which malevolent not with skill on “why” of such harlequin paints like if, in front of us, it was of passage or such landscape, seized at the moment even where the man is elsewhere, Séréville apprehends the life through the filter which one does not dare any more to call the heart. Because here we are. The single offering that these brown make us, these pinks, these blue encircled of black is to revive in us the true emotions.”