1883 -1940 · Paris, Damascus and Mediterranean

Simplified volumes, matte colors and a traveling gaze make Jean Marchand an independent figure between post-impressionism, cubism and decorative modernity.

Jean Marchand was born in Paris in 1883 and died there in 1940. Painter, engraver and illustrator, he was trained at a time when the post-impressionist generation was questioning the illusionist perspective and naturalist color. His works from the 1910s show a firm construction, attentive to volume, which dialogues with Cubism without entirely dissolving the figure or the landscape. Marchand exhibited in Paris and also became known in Great Britain, where his art was looked at by circles close to Roger Fry and the Bloomsbury Group. The trip occupied an important place in his practice. Around 1912, Damascus and Anti-Lebanon offered him architecture, streets, cafes and figures that the painter transposes into structured flat areas. A street in Damascus uses facades, openings and the climb of the path to order depth. A cabaret scene in Damascus brings together figures, furniture and colored surfaces in a denser space where social observation remains readable. Marchand, however, is not limited to the Mediterranean Orient. Vence and Le Lac bear witness to research on the landscape, while Poisson rouge transforms the animal and its container into an animated still life. Maternity and Girl in a Basket Chair favor the stability of the body, the contour and the relationship between figure and seat. In Self-portrait, the face becomes the place of an analysis without excessive theatricality. From one subject to another, Marchand simplifies volumes, reduces secondary details and lets color organize the shots. This economy gives his compositions a decorative presence without eliminating their human density. He also practices engraving and illustration, techniques which reinforce his taste for synthetic line. The collection thus makes it possible to follow several directions of the same language: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. The collection thus makes it possible to follow several directions of the same language: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. The collection thus makes it possible to follow several directions of the same language: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. Died in 1940, Marchand remains less famous than certain cubists of his generation: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. Died in 1940, Marchand remains less famous than certain cubists of his generation: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. Died in 1940, Marchand remains less famous than certain cubists of his generation: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. Died in 1940, Marchand remains less famous than certain cubists of his generation: travel, intimacy, still life, portrait and landscape. Died in 19 exchanges between Paris, London and the Mediterranean. The "Jean Marchand" selection notably compares A Cabaret Scene in Damascus and La Maternité. His reading favors drawing.

Merchant simplifies without cooling: a firm outline and a few colored planes are enough to hold together the journey, the figure and the daily emotion.