Tasse de Thé, 1938

Henri le Sidaner

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French painter, mainly of landscapes. Born at Port Louis in Mauritius, of Breton parents. His family returned to France in 1872 and settled at Dunkirk, where he began his art studies under A. Desmit; then 1880-2 at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the studio of Cabanel. Broke with academic training under the influence of Impressionism. 1882-94 at Etaples, then moved to Paris. After painting figure subjects of orphans, the life and death of the poor, etc., turned c.1895 mainly to landscapes, often scenes at twilight, influenced by Monet but executed from memory and with an emphasis on melancholy and silence. His mature style developed during visits to Bruges 1898 and 1899-1900. Settled 1900 at Gerberoy (Oise), where his house and garden became a constant inspiration for his pictures. Also worked elsewhere in France, especially at Versailles, and in Venice, Belgium, Holland and England (London and Hampton Court). First one-man exhibition at the Goupil Gallery, London, 1905. Awarded First Prize at the 1925 Pittsburgh International. Died in Paris.

Published in: Ronald Alley, Catalogue of the Tate Gallery’s Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, pp.425-6. tate.org