Pierre Courthion

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Pierre Courthion (January 14, 1902 - 1988) [1] was a Swiss art critic and historian known for his work on American and French art. [2]

Contents

Biography

Courthion's father, Louis, worked as an editor on the newspaper Journal de Gèneve. [1] After completing secondary school in Schwyz, [1] Pierre Courthion was educated at the University of Geneva and was awarded a scholarship to study painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. [2] During his studies, he befriended artists Kurt Seligmann and Alberto Giacometti. [1] He also married a fellow Swiss named Pierrette, with whom he had a daughter, Sabine. [1] At the Louvre, he did his doctorate on the painter Jean-Étienne Liotard. [2]

During World War II, Courthion and his family fled from France back to Switzerland, where he participated in anti-Nazi resistance. In 1950, he was given French citizenship. He died in 1988. [1]

Work

From 1933 to 1939, Courthion was the director of the Swiss Foundation of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, before fleeing the Nazi invasion of France. [1]

In 1941, Courthion interviewed Henri Matisse for a book that the elderly artist was to illustrate himself. However, on reading the proofs and sharing them with friends, Matisse considered Courthion's writing convoluted and mesquin ("small-minded"). [3] Matisse then halted the book's publication, just a few weeks before it was due to come out. [3] [4] The "lost" interview was not published until 2013. [4]

In 1960, Courthion served on the Guggenheim Prize jury. [1]

In 2004, more than 15 years after his death, his autobiography, D'une palette à l'autre: mémoires d'un critique d'art (From One Palette to Another: Memoirs of an Art Critic) was posthumously published. [1]

His papers are held at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, California. [2]

Publications

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cubicciotti, Amy. "Pierre Courthion Biography" (PDF). Getty Research Institute . Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Pierre Courthion papers". Getty Research Institute . Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 Cone, Michele (14 June 2013). "Killed by Matisse in 1941, Courthion's Interviews Are Resurrected". artinamericamagazine.com. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Chatting With Henri Matisse (HB)". National Gallery Shop. Retrieved 2 May 2019.