Albert André  (French, 1869-1954) 

Albert André (French, 1869–1954) is considered one of the major Post-Impressionist painters of his time. Also known as a writer and a museum curator at Bagnols-sur-Cèze, André started his career as an industrial textile designer and draftsman specialized in silks. In 1890, he left his hometown of Lyon for Paris to attend the Académie Julian, where he met artists Maurice Denis (French, 1870–1943) and Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867–1947) and became associated with the Post-Impressionist movement. In 1894, André exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon d'Automne, and the Salon des Cent. Upon the first national exposure of his work, André developed ties with Camille Pissarro (French, 1831–1903) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919); subsequently, his work was supported by the dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. André and Renoir become close friends and over the following decades; Renoir, his family, and domestic life became one of André’s ongoing subjects for his paintings. In 1904, André participated to the Salon de la Libre Esthétique in Brussels. His style combined Pointillist techniques with the composition style often favored by the Nabis artists. André juxtaposed patterns and color in a manner that almost tended towards abstraction. His particular form of layout and alternation of motifs within his paintings were influenced by Japanese prints, which were a source of inspiration for many notable painters of the time. Due to his mastery of still lifes, interiors, landscapes, and cityscapes, André’s paintings and drawings are considered among the most original in style and composition of the Post-Impressionists. His work is included in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago, among many others.