Wilhelm Uhde
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Uhde was a German
art collector, dealer, author and critic, an early collector of modernist painting, and a significant figure in the career of Henri Rousseau
.
and Florence
before moving to Paris
in 1904. He was one of the first collectors of the cubist
paintings of Pablo Picasso
and George Braque, buying his first Picasso in 1905. He met Robert Delaunay
, Sonia Terk
and Henri Rousseau in 1907, and opened his art gallery in 1908 where he exhibited André Derain
, Braque and Picasso. Uhde commissioned Picasso to paint his portrait (1909) and produced the first monograph on Rousseau in 1911.
Uhde and Terk married 1908 in London
, reportedly a marriage of convenience which masked his homosexuality. They divorced 1910 and Terk married Robert Delaunay.
At the outbreak of World War I
, many German nationals living in France had their possessions sequestered by the French state. As a result, Uhde's collection was confiscated in 1914 and sold by the government in a series of auctions at the Hôtel Drouot
in 1921.
From 1919-1920, Uhde worked with Helmut Kolle
and lived with him in Chantilly, France. Uhde was active as a pacifist
in Weimar Germany
, but returned to France in 1924, moving to Chantilly
in 1927. A Jew, he spent the Second World War
in hiding in southern France, at one point helped by the art critic and resistance
leader Jean Cassou
.
exhibition, which took place in Paris in 1928. The participants were Henri Rousseau
, André Bauchant
, Camille Bombois
, Séraphine Louis
and Louis Vivin, known collectively as the Sacred Heart painters. Séraphine Louis had been Uhde's housecleaner, whose work he had discovered and sponsored from 1912 to 1930.
by director Martin Provost
, focusing on the encounter and subsequent role of Séraphine Louis
in his life and he in hers. The film won seven César Award
s, including Best Film
.
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...
art collector, dealer, author and critic, an early collector of modernist painting, and a significant figure in the career of Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...
.
Biography
Uhde studied law in Dresden but switched to art history, studying in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
before moving to 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...
in 1904. He was one of the first collectors of the cubist
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
paintings of Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and George Braque, buying his first Picasso in 1905. He met Robert Delaunay
Robert Delaunay
Robert Delaunay was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, cofounded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstract, reminiscent of Paul Klee...
, Sonia Terk
Sonia Delaunay
Sonia Delaunay was a Jewish-French artist who, with her husband Robert Delaunay and others, cofounded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. Her work extends to painting, textile design and stage set design...
and Henri Rousseau in 1907, and opened his art gallery in 1908 where he exhibited André Derain
André Derain
André Derain was a French artist, painter, sculptor and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse.-Early years:...
, Braque and Picasso. Uhde commissioned Picasso to paint his portrait (1909) and produced the first monograph on Rousseau in 1911.
Uhde and Terk married 1908 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, reportedly a marriage of convenience which masked his homosexuality. They divorced 1910 and Terk married Robert Delaunay.
At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, many German nationals living in France had their possessions sequestered by the French state. As a result, Uhde's collection was confiscated in 1914 and sold by the government in a series of auctions at the Hôtel Drouot
Hôtel Drouot
Hôtel Drouot is a large auction house in Paris, known for fine art, antiques, and antiquities. It consists of 16 halls hosting 70 independent auction firms, which operate under the umbrella grouping of Drouot....
in 1921.
From 1919-1920, Uhde worked with Helmut Kolle
Helmut Kolle
Helmut Kolle was a German painter who found major success in France in the 1920s, fusing German modernist style with the more refined elegance of French painting....
and lived with him in Chantilly, France. Uhde was active as a pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
in Weimar Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, but returned to France in 1924, moving to Chantilly
Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...
in 1927. A Jew, he spent the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in hiding in southern France, at one point helped by the art critic and resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
leader Jean Cassou
Jean Cassou
Jean Cassou was a French writer, art critic, poet and member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Biography :Jean Cassou was born at Deusto, near Bilbao,...
.
The Sacred Heart painters
Uhde is also known as the principal organiser of the first Naive ArtNaïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
exhibition, which took place in Paris in 1928. The participants were Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...
, André Bauchant
André Bauchant
André Bauchant was a French 'naïve' painter whose compositions were often informed by mythology and Classical History. He originally worked as a market gardener, after his father, before serving in World War I. He later trained as a mapmaker before deciding on a career as an artist.Bauchant was...
, Camille Bombois
Camille Bombois
Camille Bombois was a French naïve painter especially noted for paintings of circus scenes.Bombois was born in Venarey-les-Laumes in the Côte-d'Or, under humble circumstances. His childhood was spent living on a barge and attending a local school until the age of twelve, when he became a farm worker...
, Séraphine Louis
Séraphine Louis
Séraphine Louis, known as "Séraphine de Senlis" , was a French painter in the naïve style. Self-taught, she was inspired by her religious faith and by stained-glass church windows and other religious art...
and Louis Vivin, known collectively as the Sacred Heart painters. Séraphine Louis had been Uhde's housecleaner, whose work he had discovered and sponsored from 1912 to 1930.
Writings
- Picasso et la tradition française, Paris : Les Quatre Chemins, 1928
- Cinq maîtres primitifs, Paris, 1949
- Von Bismarck bis Picasso: Erinnerungen und Bekenntnisse (1938) recent editions:
Legacy
A significant part of Uhde's life story is told in the 2008 French film SéraphineSéraphine (film)
Séraphine is a 2008 French-Belgian film directed by Martin Provost and written by Marc Abdelnour and Provost. It stars Yolande Moreau as the French painter Séraphine Louis and Ulrich Tukur as Wilhelm Uhde. It won the 2009 César Award for Best Film.-Plot:...
by director Martin Provost
Martin Provost
Martin Provost is a French film director, writer and actor. He wrote and directed such films as Séraphine and Le ventre de Juliette.-Filmography:Director:*Cocon *Tortilla y cinema *Le ventre de Juliette...
, focusing on the encounter and subsequent role of Séraphine Louis
Séraphine Louis
Séraphine Louis, known as "Séraphine de Senlis" , was a French painter in the naïve style. Self-taught, she was inspired by her religious faith and by stained-glass church windows and other religious art...
in his life and he in hers. The film won seven César Award
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
s, including Best Film
César Award for Best Film
The winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Film .-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
.