- Eugène Boch
Infobox Painting|
title=Portrait of Eugène Boch (The Poet)
artist=Vincent van Gogh
year=1888
type=Oil on canvas
height=60
width=45
museum=Musée d'OrsayEugène Boch (
1 September 1855 –3 January 1941 ) was a Belgian painter, born in Saint-Vaast, Hainaut, and the younger brother ofAnna Boch , a founding member ofLes XX .Born into a wealthy dynasty of manufacturers of fine china and ceramics, still active today under the firm of
Villeroy & Boch , Eugène Boch enrolled in the private atelier ofLéon Bonnat in Paris, in 1879. Since 1882, when Bonnat closed his atelier, he studied at the atelier ofFernand Cormon . Paintings of him where admitted to the Salon in 1882, 1883 and 1885.In 1888, he was introduced by
Dodge MacKnight toVincent van Gogh .In 1892 he settled in Monthyon (Seine-and-Marne), not far from Paris. In 1909, he married Anne-Marie Léonie Crusfond (?-1933), in 1910 they moved to their recently erected chalet "La Grimpette", where both lived until their death.
Like his sister Anna Boch, Eugène supported artists of talent, but without money, for example
Emile Bernard , whom he met at theAtelier Cormon , or likePaul Gauguin . Or he exchanged works, as with Van Gogh. Thus little by little, an important collection of contemporary art came together.Besides his own portrait Eugène Boch owned a second Van Gogh Painting.Like his sister Anna, Eugène Boch spent a large part of the funds, which they owed to their father's,Victor Boch, Business Success, on promoting other artists. They bought pictures from virtually all leading contemporaries of their time, the majority of whom were also their friends.
When Eugène Boch died in 1936, he bequeathed "The Poet" - that is Van Gogh's title for his portrait of Eugène Boch, which Boch received from Johanna van Gogh-Bonger in accordance to the last will of Vincent and Theo - to the Louvre. Today the painting can be seen in the Paris
Musee d Orsay .His collection remained in the family until 1996, when an important part was sold at auction in Paris.
References
cite book
last =Boch
first =Anna
coauthors =Eugène Boch
title =Hommage à Anna et Eugène Boch
publisher =Musée de Pontoise
date =1994
id =OCLC|31175453,LCCN 95179953cite book
last =Faider-Thomas
first =Thérèse
title =Anna Boch und Eugène Boch: Werke aus den Anfängen der modernen Kunst
publisher =Mettlach, Villeroy & Boch
date =1971
id =OCLC|420158 (Catalog of an exhibition held at the Moderne Galerie, Saarland-Museum, Saarbrücken, May 6-June 6, 1971)
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