Bidspirit auction | Henri Adolphe LAISSEMENT (1854-1921) ”The

Henri Adolphe LAISSEMENT (1854-1921) ”The discussion around the signature” oil on panel. - Item details Description Henri Adolphe LAISSEMENT (1854-1921) ”The discussion around the signature” oil on panel, provenance: Collection F. Bernheim according to a label on the reverse of the frame. A lifelong Parisian, Henri Adolphe Laissement was probably born into an economically comfortable family sometime in 1854. There is no record of Laissement’s art education until he was enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Alexandre Cabanel (1823-89); however, he undoubtedly received substantial training in order to qualify for admission to the Ecole. Based on Laissement’s age and the political upheaval of France in 1870-71, it seems most likely that the young artist began his studies at the Ecole after the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune, probably in early 1872 at age eighteen. His training with Cabanel is most evident in his flawless drawing technique and exquisite rendering of color. Laissement made his Salon debut in 1879 at age twenty-five. It was sometime during the late 1880s or early 1890s that Laissement became one of the leading painters of genre scenes featuring Cardinals of the Catholic church. Laissement also expanded his horizons during the last decade of the nineteenth century with the mass reproduction of his paintings in the form of etchings and photogravures as well as with the design of book illustrations. By the very end of the century, however, he was again receiving official recognition for his paintings, with a third class medal in 1898, a bronze medal in 1900, and a second class medal in 1905. Undoubtedly, this was also the period when Laissement’s work began to gain attention in the United States. Laissement’s paintings were handled by Juilus Oehme, the owner of the American Art Association Galleries in New York. The last record of Laissement at the Paris Salon dates from 1912 when he exhibited A Corner of the Rose Garden. Virtually nothing is yet known about the last decade of Laissement’s life. He continued to live in Paris, but there is no record of his personal life during these years. He died on April 12, 1921. Height: 26,5cm; Width: 35cm; Condition Good condition Dimensions Width 35 cm / 13.8 in Height 26,5 cm / 10.2 in