Didier Bonvitesse

Didier Claude Bonvitesse (June 3, 1880 - February 14, 1945) was a painter and sculptor, born in Dresden to French parents.

Bonvitesse's father worked as an upscale shoemaker in Paris, and by 1888 young Didier and his mother moved there to join him. Soon after, he began to take a keen interest in art, which his father encouraged. In 1898 he studied briefly at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, but reportedly found Belgium disagreeable, returning home after less than a year.

Around the turn of the century, Bonvitesse worked as an apprentice with his father, until 1904 when both of his parents were killed in a fire. He received a considerable inheritance and was able to take up painting full time, also dabbling in sculpture.

Bonvitesse is known primarily for his portraits of friends and local figures of importance, though he was occasionally hired to paint important events. Documents and correspondence from the period indicate that his work was considered excellent, having both extreme technical finesse and powerful emotional content. Some of his more notable works were "Visage de Jeune Marie," believed to be of a neighbor's child, and "La Comptesse de Chandon." During a 1923 trip to the United States, he painted a renowned portrait of obscure Blues legend Lil' Mo Biglips.

Unfortunately, few works by Bonvitesse exist today. Following the fall of Paris in 1940, he moved to his childhood home of Dresden and purchased many of his works in France to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Nazis. When the city was firebombed, Bonvitesse's home was destroyed along with his works; the fire also took his life.

It is believed that a small number of Bonvitesse portraits still exist in private ownership in Europe. Art historians have managed to locate only a select few, and they are rarely put on public display.