Maurice Feuillet 1873-1968

Raised in Montmartre, Maurice Feuillet became acquainted at an early age with the artistic and journalistic circles of the French capital, where he revealed a precocious talent for drawing. Deeply affected by the political events that shook France under the Third Republic, particularly the anarchist attacks, he began illustrating current affairs and submitted his drawings to the British magazine Black and White.

Building on these early experiences, Feuillet pursued a career as a press illustrator and attracted particular attention in 1892 for his drawings of the celebrated duel between Paul Déroulède and Georges Clemenceau, which he sold to the Daily Graphic. A contributor to numerous illustrated periodicals, including L’Univers illustré, Le Mois littéraire et pittoresque and Le Petit Bleu du matin, he also worked as a special correspondent and courtroom artist. In this capacity, he covered the trials of Émile Henry in 1894, Émile Zola in 1898 and Alfred Dreyfus in Rennes in 1899 (fig. 1).

Closely connected with Parisian artistic circles and a member of the Société des Amis de l’Art japonais, Feuillet actively campaigned for the rights of press illustrators. After contributing to Frou-Frou and subsequently to L’Assiette au beurre in 1901, he published a book in 1904 commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of Belgian independence, which was presented at the Liège International Exhibition.

Mobilised in August 1914 and wounded in 1916, he remained in military service until February 1919 before resuming his artistic and critical activities. In May 1923, he founded Le Figaro artistique, the first weekly supplement devoted to the arts, which he directed until September 1926. He subsequently became head of Le Gaulois artistique, establishing himself as one of the most influential art critics of his time.

Appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1929, he continued to pursue an important career as a painter, illustrator and historian of Old Master drawings, becoming a recognised expert in the field. A passionate collector, he and his wife Pauline bequeathed a remarkable collection to the city of Marseille, making a lasting contribution to the holdings of its Museum of Decorative Arts.

Maurice Feuillet died in 1968, leaving behind the legacy of a remarkably versatile artist: a chronicler of his time, a virtuoso draughtsman and a tireless advocate for the graphic arts.