1883 - 1970
A French self-taught artist, a major and illustrious representative of naive art.
Though he worked in various genres – landscape, still life and portrait, he became famous mostly for his paintings with circus scenes. Camille Bombois’ exhibitions were held everywhere around the world; his numerous paintings are mostly in private collections and are extremely expensive at auctions.
Key ideas:
– Camille Bombois, who had never attended any specialized educational institutions, created works in different genres: still lifes and portraits, rural and urban landscapes, genre domestic and interior scenes. The first decades of his long life became an accumulation of impressions in order to later reproduce pictures associated either with his childhood memories about the life on a barge, sometimes with work in a circus, or with a four-year stay at the front and participation in hostilities.
– Some of the works are landscapes that demonstrate the poetic sensitivity of the uniquely talented artist. In the depictions of nature, we can see the artist’s keen attention to cosmic harmony, as well as to the effect of light on water and reflection on its surface.
– Bombois dedicated many paintings to women, especially to his wife, depicting her curvy shapes in a simple dress with morning tea, in a strange position behind and without a head and while bathing. Nevertheless, his most favorite theme, which made him famous and recognizable, is a circus with clowns and strongmen, acrobats and trainers. These plots go through all the works of Camille.
– His paintings of the mature period become bolder in color and are distinguished by strong contrasts of bright red, black, blue and electric pink. Shining colors, expressiveness and caricature of images attract the viewer, while convincing Realism and the clarity of the stories make the author even more popular.
– Comparing the paintings by Bombois with the works of Henri Rousseau, the recognized founder of naive art, critics note Camille’s clearer distinction between the forms of objects and attention to detail.
– At the same time, the plots and themes of the younger French primitivist are not related to fantasy; on the contrary, these are quite real scenes from the life of the common people or artistic community, recognizable urban and rural landscapes.
1883
1907
1914
1918
1922
1924
1927
1932 - 1937
1944
1955
1964
1970
He was born on February 3 in the small town of Venarey-les-Laumes on the Saône River in Bourgogne. His family was poor and lived on barge; Camille started to work early; he was physically strong and became a wrestling champion, performed at fairs and at the circus. Although he loved to draw from childhood, he became seriously interested in painting only in 1999.
Realized his dream of moving to Paris, got married, painted at his spare time, visited the Louvre, presented his pictures in squares and streets.
Participated in the battles of the First World War, where he received three awards for bravery. During this time, his wife sold off most of the canvases.
Returning to Paris, he found a night job to paint in daytime; his works began to attract the attention of naïve art lovers.
Deciding to try an “experiment”, the artist held an unauthorized exhibition on the sidewalk of Montmartre; it was successful: the paintings were bought; the exhibition attracted art dealers and collectors Wilhelm Uhde and Noel Buro. Art critics favored it too.
Famous art dealer and naïve art specialist Uhde not only bought almost all the existing ready-made paintings, arranged his exhibition, once again “revealing” the self-educated genius to the world, but also rented a studio for the artist.
The Quatre Chemins (Four Roads) exhibition prepared by Uhde was held at the Katre Hemins Gallery.
Camille was successful at the “Primitis Modern” exhibition at the Georges Bernheim Gallery and at the “Maîtres populaires de la réalité” (“Popular masters of the reality”) exhibition. Under the patronage of Uhde, Bombois became a member of the art group “Sacred Heart”; managed to purchase a house in the suburbs of Paris and after that worked in his own workshop.
His first solo exhibition was held at the Gallery Petrides; his painting, in which a bulldog was depicted, was given to Yvonne Vander, the wife of Charles de Gaulle.
Was invited to Kassel (Germany) to participate in the Documenta, the first exhibition of contemporary art organized by artist and art historian A. von Bode.
Presented his paintings at the Paris Museum of Modern art (the exhibition “World of Naive”), and then at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
He died on June 11 in Paris.
