Henri Guérard

Henri Charles Guérard (26 April 1846, Paris - 24 March 1897, Paris) was a French painter and printmaker, particularly in etching and lithography.

Biography He began his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, majoring in architecture, but gradually turned his attention to painting and engraving. In 1870, he became a student of .

The year 1873 saw the first issue of , a weekly magazine of current affairs and amusements, founded by the writer . Guérard and Paul Gachet were in charge of the illustrations. During this time, he frequented the salon of Nina de Callias and became a friend of Édouard Manet. Later, together with the actress, Ellen Andrée, he posed for one of Manet's paintings; "At the Café".

In 1879, he married Eva Gonzalès, one of Manet's students and models. They moved to a farm near Honfleur, where they hosted several well known painters, including Paul Cézanne and Norbert Goeneutte, who became a close friend. Two years later, he illustrated Les Caravanes de Scaramouche, by his father-in-law, Emmanuel Gonzalès.

Eva died in 1883, while giving birth to their son, Jean Raimond, who would become a theatrical painter. His friend, Manet, had also died five days earlier, leaving him too depressed to work for a long period. He remarried in 1888, to his sister-in-law, , who was also a painter.

During this period, he provided illustrations for L'Art Japonais of Louis Gonse, published by . Shortly after, he created his own Japonisme, an album of ten etchings, published by . In 1889, together with Félix Bracquemond, he created the , which held exhibits at the Durand-Ruel Gallery. He was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor in 1893.

He was an avid collector (what might now be called a "hoarder") of everything from old shoes to lanterns. Many of his etchings are of odd objects and earned him a title: "The Engraver of Curiosities".

Selected works