Elle, [1900-1901, printed in 1921]

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Summary

Creators:
Besnard, Paul Albert, 1849-1934, Vernant, Auguste, and Vitta, Joseph, 1860-1942
Abstract:
The title of the series of prints, Elle, refers to Death (La Mort). Elle is a series of 26 prints in etching and aquatint executed by the French painter, pastellist, and printmaker Albert Besnard in 1900-1901. The series was commissioned by collector and patron Joseph Vitta, who limited the printing to two editions of 9 and 19 impressions. The present impressions are of the second edition, printed in 1921, before the copperplates were canceled. The series is considered one of Albert Besnard's most significant works in printmaking and depicts the omnipresence of death among the living.
Extent:
26 prints
Language:
Collection material is in French.
Preferred citation:

Albert Besnard, Elle, [1900-1901, printed in 1921], The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2022.PR.18.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2022pr18

Background

Scope and content:

The title of the series of prints, Elle, refers to Death (La Mort). Elle is a series of 26 prints in etching and aquatint executed by the French painter, pastellist, and printmaker Albert Besnard in 1900-1901. The series was commissioned by collector and patron Joseph Vitta, who limited the printing to two editions of 9 and 19 impressions. The present impressions are of the second edition, printed in 1921, before the copperplates were canceled. The series is considered one of Albert Besnard's most significant works in printmaking and depicts the omnipresence of death among the living.

In France, Death is usually personalized as female and, in this series, Death is shown in several scenes in the disguise of the mistress of the household, of a courtesan, or of a lover. Death appears in all aspects of daily life, striking when one least expects it, on the path of a horse rider or as a couple embraces in a garden. One scene is particularly cruel, as Death stands in front of a mother with two young children on her lap, and the title of the print elucidates what is at stake: Lequel? (Which One?). In Après sa visite (After the Visit), a man and a woman hide their faces in despair. On the other hand, in L'Importune (Importunate), a doctor by a patient's bedside pushes her away. In Danger passé (Danger Passed), a horse rider continues. Other prints demonstrate the benevolence of Death who can bring relief. In one scene, Death brings together a couple under her cloak.

In 1900, the French banker, collector, and patron Baron Joseph Vitta (1860-1940) commissioned the series Elle from Besnard. The series was to include 50 plates, of which only 26 were editioned. (A 27th plate, titled L'homme suivant la Mort, was realized but destroyed after only two proofs were pulled). Vitta controlled the preliminary drawings, the plates, and the printed impressions, and limited the size of the edition. The first printing of the series comprised only nine proofs of each plate. A second state of the series, with the addition of Besnard's monogram, was printed in nineteen impressions in 1921. An additional set of impressions was offered to the printer of the series, Auguste Vernant. The plates were then canceled (impressions of the canceled plates are at the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris).

Sources consulted:

Coppier. Les eaux-fortes de Besnard, pages 186-195

Delteil. Le peintre-graveur illustré (XIXe et XXe siècles), volume 30, no. 131-156

BN. Estampes, IFF après 1800, page 343-344, no. 62

Biographical / historical:

Born in Paris, Albert Besnard entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1866. He exhibited at the Salon of 1868 and won the Prix de Rome in 1874. While in Rome, he met Charlotte Dubray (1854-1931), the daughter of the sculptor Vital Dubray (1813-1892), and a sculptor herself, who benefited from the sponsorship of the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland to study sculpture in Rome. After their marriage in 1879, the couple moved to London. There, Dubray had numerous contacts and Besnard received numerous commissions as a portrait painter. He also studied printmaking with Alphonse Legros. Their four children, three sons and a daughter, became artists. Besnard was the director of the Académie de France in Rome from 1913-1921 and the director of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1922 to 1932. He became the first painter to be given a state funeral in France.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 2022.
Processing information:

Karen Meyer-Roux wrote this finding aid in September 2022.

Arrangement:

The prints are listed as in Delteil.

Physical location:
Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.
Physical description:
26 prints : etchings and aquatints on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper ; sheets 45.1 x 32.1 cm.
Rules or conventions:
graphic materials

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Preferred citation:

Albert Besnard, Elle, [1900-1901, printed in 1921], The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2022.PR.18.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2022pr18

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
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