Adrien Henri Tanoux 1865-1923

Painter of genre scenes, nudes, and portraits, as well as Orientalist subjects, Adrien Tanoux was born on October 10, 1865, in Marseille. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Léon Bonnat. He exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris, becoming a member in 1905, and received numerous awards: an honorable mention at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a third-class medal and a second-class medal at the Salons of 1894 and 1895, the latter year also seeing him awarded a travel scholarship. Upon returning to Paris, he presented new works at the Salon, including "La leçon de couture" and "La lettre" in 1908, intimate interior scenes set in the countryside. In the following years, he produced paintings with evocative titles reflecting a new direction in his work and a shift in subject matter: "Après le bain" (1912), "Fleur du Mal" (1913), and "Parfums troublants" (1914).

Noted for his nudes and depictions of women of sensual, voluptuous beauty, he practiced a tender and mannered figurative style. He often placed his models within harmoniously toned atmospheres, skillfully playing with light and shadow.

He decorated the wedding hall of the Mairie of the 14th arrondissement in Paris with a scene titled "La Noce" (1888), and the banquet hall of the Mairie of the 10th arrondissement with "Théâtres" in 1905.

He died in Paris in 1923. In 1927, his sister donated a large painting to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice, "Thaïs" (215 x 235 cm), dating from 1920 and inspired by Anatole France’s eponymous novel.