Maurice Utrillo, born Maurice Valadon, (December 25, 1883 - November 5, 1955) was a French painter who specialized in cityscapes. He is one of the most forged painters in history, yet his early works may fetch auction prices close to US$1 million. December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining for the year. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... Snowcovered Blaauwbrug 1991 Amsterdam cityscape Frans Koppelaar A cityscape is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ...

Les Trois Moulins de Montmartre, oil painting by Maurice Utrillo

Born on Christmas Day in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of Montmartre who was born there. les tres moulins de montmartre painted by maurice Utrillo Does anyone have a date on this? The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... les tres moulins de montmartre painted by maurice Utrillo Does anyone have a date on this? The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou (1897), a painting by Camille Pissarro of the boulevard that led to Montmartre as seen from his hotel room. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ...

Utrillo is the son of Suzanne Valadon (born Marie-Clémentine Valadon), who would become a very successful painter. At the time of his birth she was a young model and art student. Speculation exists that he was the offspring from a liaison with an equally young amateur painter named, Boissy. Suzanne Valadon (September 23, 1865 – April 7, 1938) was a French painter. ...

Another story quoted about Utrillo's paternity comes from the memoir of one of his American collectors, Ruth Bakwin. Bakwin's unpublished memoirs recount the following humorous anecdote, "after Maurice was born to Suzanne Valadon, she went to Renoir, for whom she had modeled nine months previously. Renoir looked at the baby and said, 'He can't be mine, the color is terrible!' Next she went to Degas, for whom she had also modeled. He said, 'He can't be mine, the form is terrible!' At a cafe, Valadon saw an artist she knew named Miguel Utrillo, to whom she spilled her woes. The man told her to call the baby Utrillo: 'I would be glad to put my name to the work of either Renoir or Degas!'"^[1] An anecdote is a short tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident. ...

Suzanne Valadon, however, never revealed who had been the father of her child. While raising the child alone she became a well-paid painter, achieving financial success when many other contemporary painters in Paris were not.

Following a fall from a trapeze that prevented her from following her chosen career as a circus acrobat, Utrillo's mother became a painter's model who posed for Berthe Morisot and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, as well as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and many of the contemporary painters in Paris. She began to study their techniques in order to learn painting. Toulouse-Lautrec introduced her to the great master, Edgar Degas, who recognizing her talent, taught her and encouraged her to continue painting. An acrobat below a balloon Trapeze artists, in lithograph by Calvert Litho. ... The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ... High wire act Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking) is one of the performing arts, and is also practiced as a sport. ... Berthe Morisot in a portrait by Édouard Manet, 1872 Berthe Morisot (January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was an Impressionist painter. ... Pierre-Auguste Renoir. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (IPA ), was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, and drawing. ...

Eventually, she became a peer of the artists for whom she had modeled. In 1894 Valadon was the first woman painter admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. A perfectionist, Valadon worked for up to thirteen years on some of her oil paintings before showing them. She also worked in pastel. Unlike many of her peers, Valadon received acclaim and financial success during her lifetime. 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA) was the term under which two groups of French artists united, the first for some exhibitions in the early 1860s, the second since 1890 for annual exhibitions. ...

When a mental illness took hold of the twenty-one year old Utrillo in 1904, he was encouraged to paint by his mother. He soon showed real artistic talent. With no training beyond what his mother taught him, he drew and painted what he saw in Montmartre. He painted landscapes that delighted his clients and astonished connoisseurs. His paintings inspired many artists to re-examine their work and, abandoning abstraction, once again to re-create reality. Throughout his life, however, his mental disorder would result in his being interned in mental asylums repeatedly.

Montmartre Street Corner - Lapin Agile, 1936. oil painting by Maurice Utrillo

Only after 1910 did art critics make note of his work. By 1920, he had become a legendary figure, whose paintings were known internationally. In 1929, the French government awarded him the Cross of the Legion of Honor. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chiang Kai-sheks Légion dhonneur. ...

Today, tourists to the area will find many of his paintings on post cards, one of which is his very popular 1936 painting entitled, Montmartre Street Corner or Lapin Agile is displayed on the left. Lapin Agile is a famous Montmartre cabaret, at 22 Rue des Saules, Paris, France. ...

In 1935, at the age of fifty-two, Maurice Utrillo married Lucie Valore and moved to Le Vesinet, just outside of Paris. By that time, he was too ill to work in the open air and painted landscapes viewed from windows, from post cards, and from memory.

Although his life also was plagued by alcoholism, he lived into his seventies. Maurice Utrillo died on November 5, 1955, and was buried in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre. Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cimetière Saint-Vincent - The Cemetery of Saint Vincent at 6, rue Lucien-Gaulard in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France was opened on January 5, 1831. ... Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou (1897), a painting by Camille Pissarro of the boulevard that led to Montmartre as seen from his hotel room. ...

References

• Jean Fabris, Claude Wiart, Alain Buquet, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Jacques Birr, Catherine Banlin-Lacroix, Joseph Foret: Utrillo, sa vie, son oeuvre (Utrillo, his life, his works), Editions Frédéric Birr, Paris, 1982.

Notes

1. ^ New York Times, April 21, 2006

External links

• (French) site of Utrillo Estate
• (Polish) Art Gallery - Maurice Utrillo
• Utrillo's biography
• The Prodigious Century