"The Monkey Trainer, French School "
The Monkey Trainer
Oil on oak panel
22 x 17 cm unframed
Attributed to Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps 1803-1860 The Monkey Trainer Oil on oak panel 22 x 17 cm excluding frame Here is a charming scene of a monkey trainer that invites us into this timeless circus world. After two brief experiences in painters' studios, Alexandre Decamps decided to study painting in the streets of Paris and its suburbs, in contact with popular communities. He frequented the Louvre assiduously and became passionate about Rembrandt and the Flemish painters. In 1827, he had his first exhibition at the salon where he presented a work on Hunting. Very early on, he developed a preference for animal painting, particularly monkeys being depicted as human, as Teniers did. He published satirical drawings in Le Figaro which gave him great popularity. In 1828, he was sent on a mission to Greece with the painter Louis Garneray, tasked with commemorating the victory of Navarino with a painting, and continued a journey that took him to Constantinople, in Asia Minor and the Middle East. These travels inspire him to create numerous historical paintings displayed at the Salon of 1839. He will be appointed a knight of the Legion of Honor (June 27, 1839).
Museums: Louvre, London (Wallace Collection), New York, Orsay, Chantilly, Reims