If many artists fought to gain their parents support, Emile Othon-Friesz has always had his parents backing in his wish to pursue an artistic career. He started his studies at the Havre's School of Fine Arts where he gained a scholarship to study at their Paris school. There, he met Charles Camoin, Henri-Charles Manguin as well as Albert Marquet and Henri Matisse with whom his artworks were exhibited at the 1905 Salon d'Automne, which saw the rise of the Fauve movement. His presence within the Salon, and his artworks, enabled him to be recognised as a key figure of the Fauve movement. When travelling in Anvers, Honfleur or the Havre, Emile Othon-Friesz rendered landscapes with flaming colours; characteristic of this movement.
Read MoreFrom 1907 onward, Friesz progressively abandoned the Fauvist aesthetic and started realising more traditional artworks composed with rigorous structures in the footsteps of Cézanne.
During his lifetime his artworks have been exhibited in France but also in Berlin at the Secession exhibition, and in New York during the Armory Show.
Text courtesy Helene Bailly Gallery.
