Léon François Comerre

Biography of Léon François Comerre ( 1850-1916 )

A student of Alphonse Colas in Lille, Léon Comerre showed an early interest in art and won a gold medal at the Academy of Lille in 1867. Colas asked the city of Lille to pension Leon Comerre for the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Paris, and Comerre entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris in 1868, joining the studio of Alexandre Cabanel.

In 1871, he participated for the first time at the Paris Salon where he presented "An Italian portrait". In 1875, he won a third class medal with "Cassandre". Several times admitted to the Grand Prix de Rome competition, he won the second Grand Prix in 1872, the first Grand Prix in 1874, and in 1875 won the Grand Prix de Rome in History Painting with « Angel announcing to the shepherds the birth of Christ ». For this success, the municipality of Lille gave him a gold medal.

After a short study trip to Belgium and Holland, Léon Comerre went to Italy and stayed at the Villa Medici from January 1876 to December 1879. He made in 1878 « Jezebel eaten by dogs » And « Juno »; and in 1878 « The Lion in love ». Leon Comerre also went to London and exhibited at the Royal Academy, at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts.

During the Universal Exhibition of Antwerp in 1885, the medal of honor was given to him. That same year, he was decorated with the Legion of Honor.

In 1886, Léon Comerre obtained the commission of the monumental works « Summer » and « Autumn », panels that decorated the City Hall of the 4th arrondissement of Paris. He also decorated the ceiling and eight panels for the Rhône Prefecture in Lyon. In 1888, Comerre presented at the Salon a triptych, « Spring, Destiny and Winter ».

Fascinated by the world of theater and dance, he made numerous portraits of actresses and ballet dancers.