Nélie Jacquemart

Nélie Jacquemart was born in Paris in 1841. His/her father would be a collaborator of Mr. de Vatry, senator of the Moselle and owner of the field of Chaalis where it resides. Its true first name was Cornélia, but not liking it, it shortened it in Nélie. Nélie will be one of the first women of its time to study painting with the school of the fine arts where she attends the workshop of Leon Cogniet as from 1858, then that of Ernest Hébert thanks to which she will discover Italy. In 1863 it sends table Molière in the barber to the Art gallery.

Become Portraitist for the high society, it carries out the portrait of the rich person heir to a family of bankers Edouard André in 1872. At the time it maintains a distant relation with its silent partner, asking him to always come accompanied. The " " chaperon" " will be his/her cousin Maurice Cautier, who later will propose to marry them. She will civilly marry it with the town hall of VIIIe district on June 29th, 1881.

Become Mrs. Nélie Jacquemart-Andre , it shares the passion of collector of her husband and the assistance in the project to create a museum of painting and arts decorative in their splendid particular Hôtel of the 158 Boulevard Haussmann. They make several voyages in Italy where they enormously buy works of art of the Italian Renaissance. In 1888 they travel to Saint-Petersbourg but must stop the voyage because of the health issues of Edouard André. He will die in 1894 by légant all his goods with " its expensive épouse". Nélie will make this year there its first voyage to the Middle East. In 1902 it will start a voyage around the world with the intention to visit Japan. But having reached India, Nélie learns that part of the field of Ermenonville with the Abbaye of Chaalis, where it passed its childhood, is put on sale. It buys it and settles there, making move half of the objects collected with his/her husband and continuing way compulsive eater, a collection maintaining with its personal taste.

At the time of its death in 1912, it will be buried in the park of Chaalis. Like agreed with her husband, it bequeaths all his goods to the Institut of France. One year later both museums Jacquemart-Andre, Parisian and of Chaalis, open with the public. In that of Paris there is its Buste on the chimney of the living room of and in Chaalis its self-portrait is exposed, going back to 1880.

Notice concerning its name: being painter Nélie could keep his name of young girl and join the name of his/her husband, which it did. Just like for example Elisabeth Vigée Brown the wife of Jean-Baptist-Pierre the Brown one. The rare women painter of the time, were either girls or wives of painter.

External bond

Official site of the museum Jacquemart-Andre

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