André Brageu
Rue Daguerre near No. 7
From Douai to Paris
André Brageu was born in Douai in September 1920.
From a very young age, he was immersed in an artistic environment. His father was a musician.
André quickly developed a passion for the visual arts, and at age 16, he began attending the École des Beaux-Arts in Douai, where he studied drawing, painting, and later sculpture and architecture.
Throughout his life, he maintained a deep sense of gratitude and great respect for his teachers in Douai, particularly for Florent Méreau.
André and Rolande have known each other since early childhood, and their friendship grew stronger at the Beaux-Arts in Douai. They took the same classes, went out together to paint from life, and competed for awards in the various departments of the Beaux-Arts.
Among André Brageu’s awards from the École des Beaux-Arts in Douai are: a gold medal from the city of Douai in 1941 and a grand medal in architectural composition in 1942.
Souvenir photos from the exhibition of works by students at the Douai School of Fine Arts in late 1942, before the students left for the Paris School of Fine Arts. The students gave free rein to their creativity on subjects assigned by their teachers. Among the works is a portrait of Rolande Hubert-Leveugle painted by André Brageu.
Huile – A. Brageu – Nature morte
Huile – A. Brageu – Portrait de Rolande
Huile – A. Brageu – La ruelle des Juifs à Douai
Huile – R.H.L. – La ruelle des Juifs à Douai
Huile – R.H.L. – Nature morte
It’s no surprise that Rolande and André enrolled on the same day at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1942, after passing the entrance exam. Like Rolande, André also took classes at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs
Yvette, André’s sister, has also been very close to Rolande since childhood.
In late 1942, Yvette and André moved into 11 Rue Daguerre in Paris’s 14th arrondissement. They shared the same apartment, while Rolande moved into a neighboring apartment on the same landing (see the page “Friends on Rue Daguerre”).
Carrière d’André Brageu
The difficult postwar period and the ups and downs of life forced André (like Rolande at the same time) to find a steady source of income. He began as an upholsterer, then joined a large public works company in 1951. However, he did not give up his career as a painter.
From 1947 to 1955, André Brageu exhibited at the Salon d’hiver.
- 1947 (50th anniversary of the Salon d’Hiver)
No. 324 – Douai, Notre-Dame Church
No. 352 – Chevreuse - 1948
No. 448 – Le Boël (Brittany) - No. 449 – Snow
- No. 450 – Breton Landscape
- 1949
No. 450 – Winter in the Woods - No. 451 – Spring in Paris
- No. 452 – Le Boël
- 1950
Meschers-les-carrières
- 1951
No. 557 – Le Nez-de-Jobourg (Manche) - 1952
No. 463 – Entraygues, Rue Basse - No. 464 – Entraygues, house in Petit-Jean
- No. 465 – Entraygues, Valette house
- 1955
No. 337 – Marvejols – Le Truc du Midi - No. 338 – Marvejols – Porte de Soubeyran
- No. 339 – Marvejols – Le Vieux Moulin
André Brageu remained loyal to Paris’s 14th arrondissement throughout his life. A lover of cultural heritage, he tirelessly roamed the streets of his neighborhood to capture his favorite spots, with a particular fondness for “his Rue Daguerre through the seasons.”
This work of remembrance, which he has carried out over the years by capturing scenes of daily life and the changes in this picturesque neighborhood on his canvases, has been celebrated on numerous occasions and has earned him several awards and medals.
André has also been deeply involved in community and local life. Among other things, he is one of the founders of the “Association of Painters and Sculptors of the 14th Arrondissement (APST-14),” of which he served as president from 1997 to 2004.
While his body of work is not limited to his Parisian paintings, they nonetheless constitute a major part of it.
Daguerre Street, illustrated by André Brageu
A. Brageu – La Rue Daguerre vers n°7
A. Brageu – Rue Daguerre vers n°76
A. Brageu – Musiciens rue Daguerre
A. Brageu – Daguerre côté cour
A. Brageu – rue Daguerre angle rue Grancey
A. Brageu – Rue Daguerre vers n°24
The Last Reunion
Rue R. Losserand
The painter and sculptor Georges Hugot (1922–2000), born in Orchies, studied at the Douai School of Fine Arts at the same time as André and Rolande.
In the 1990s, Georges invited several generations of alumni from the Douai School of Fine Arts to exhibit in Aniche.
About fifty of them—including Rolande, Madeleine Aimé, and André—responded to his call. They reunited in an atmosphere of great camaraderie and emotion.
In a postcard sent to Rolande after the 1991 exhibition, André expressed his delight that “such camaraderie, after so many years, so many events, and so much distance, has remained so intact.”
Rue Raymond. Losserand
in front of their teacher’s self-portrait (1944)
Florent Méreau (1892 – 1953)
In Aniche, André Brageu is exhibiting:
>>> In 1991 .
Annay-sous-Lens – Le Marais
Douai – La Sensée
>>> In 1992
Paris – Avenue du général Leclerc
Paris – Boulevard Saint-Jacques
Les Vaux de Cernay
>>> In 1993
Paris – Cul de sac du boeuf
Paris – Rue Saint Bon
Some works exhibited in Aniche in the 1990s
Huile – A. Brageu – Douai – La Sensée
Huile – A. Brageu -Annay-sous-Lens – Les Marais
Huile – A. Brageu – Paris – Ave G. Leclerc
Huile – A. Brageu – Paris – Bd St Jacques
In 1999, André Brageu organized a solo exhibition at Galerie Montparnasse 55 titled “Le trait et la plume.” There, he presented the commemorative work he had created by tirelessly painting his neighborhood in the 14th arrondissement over the years. The exhibition also featured highly original depictions of letters of the alphabet.
In 2014, he participated in the 27th APST-14 Art Fair, exhibiting a painting titled “It Wasn’t a Movie.”
André Brageu passed away on May 27, 2014.
A post on the blog “La Voix du 14ème” pays a posthumous tribute to him.
In 2017, a tribute exhibition was held at the Galerie du Montparnasse in Paris’s 14th arrondissement. Sixty works, including sculptures and pastels, were on display. His son, Rémi Brageu, a photographer, helped organize the exhibition and designed its poster.
@remiBrageu
André Brageu’s official website, andrebrageu.fr, appears to be unavailable at this time.
It provided a very touching and comprehensive account of his life and work.
Learn more about the painters at 11 rue Daguerre: Liao Xinxue, Madeleine Aimé, and André Brageu
Références
Documents
Catalogs of the Exhibitions of the Society of French Artists – Gallica.bnf.fr – National Library of France
Catalogs of Salon d’hiver – Gallica.bnf.fr – National Library of France
Iconographie
Gallica.bnf.fr – National Library of France
Rolande Hubert-Leveugle Private Collection ©R.H.L.
Brageu Family Private Collection ©BrageuFamily
Lheureux Family Private Collection ©LheureuxFamily
Liao Xinxue
Ami artiste
Liao Xinxue
Madeleine Aimé
Amie artiste
Madeleine Aimé
