ArtistFreret, Armand Auguste

Artist Years1830-1919

Artist NationalityFrench

TitleEvening

Year1868

MediumPainting > Oil

DimensionsCanvas: 14 X 22 inches

Accession NumberRC392

NotesArmand-Auguste Fréret was born in Cherbourg in November 1830. He was a painter of the English Channel. Rear grandson of Pierre Fréret, grandson of the sculptor and decorator François-Armand Fréret, son of Louis-Victor Fréret, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Adolphe Yvon.

In his early days, he was awarded a bronze medal from the jury of the General Exhibition of Industry and Arts of the Department of Channel, in 1852, and a gold medal at the Exposition Des Beaux Arts in Avranches in 1854. He exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1865 and 1874. He ceased to exhibit in 1874 devoting his time to conservation and restoration. In 1887, he organized an exhibition dedicated to Jean-François Millet at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, which was an "unprecedented" success. In 1888, the Minister of Culture appointed him a member of the Commission for the Conservation and Restoration of National Museums. In 1896, the municipality of Lille chose him to save his endangered painting collections in his museum. He received the Legion of Honour in 1898 in recognition of the success that crowned the operation. Later, he directed restoration work for the museums of Lyon, Montpellier and Rochefort.

The Thomas-Henry Museum of Cherbourg-Octeville has a number of oils of the painter in its collection.
(source: wikimanche.fr)