Georgette's fate

Wife of Marcel Sembat, Georgette Agutte committed suicide in September 1922, just after the death of her husband. This painter, sculptor, collector and patron, left a letter where it was simply written: "It's been 12 hours since he left. I'm late.." . Let's discover this other unknown artist, most of whose works are kept at the Museum of Grenoble.

Georgette Agutte. Le Chapeau Blanc et Vert. 1914. Crédit Ville de Grenoble / Musée de Grenoble-J.L. Lacroix

Born in 1867, Georgette Agutte studied under Gustave Moreau at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where she notably met Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault. In 1897, she married Marcel Sembat, who frequented, in addition to Matisse, many artists such as Paul Signac and Maximilien Luce.

Georgette Agutte. Bord de Seine à l'Automne. Vers 1890. Musée de Grenoble.

Influenced at the start of her career by post-impressionism, Georgette Agutte evolved towards a use of bold colours, which placed her among the fauves. She exhibits regularly at the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d'Automne.

Georgette Agutte. Le Café dans le jardin. Musée de Grenoble.

Looking at some of his compositions, such as Café dans le Jardin, above, one cannot help but make a striking connection with Claude Monet's Luncheon.

Claude Monet. Le déjeuner. 1873. Musée d'Orsay

Proliferation of flowers, mastery of shadows and light, still life on the table or the pedestal table, everything is there...

Practicing sculpture since 1885, Georgette Agutte notably sculpted the bust of Jules Guesde inaugurated in 1925 in Roubaix.

Georgette Agutte au chevalet. Photo anonyme.

Musée de Grenoble

5 place Lavalette

38000 Grenoble

In his art history lectures, Fabrice Roy combines the past with the present, in a poetic and playful evocation of the French 19th century...