Georges Valmier

French, 1885-1937

BiographyGeorges Valmier (11 April 1885 – 25 March 1937) was a French painter. His work encompassed the great movements in the modern history of painting, starting with Impressionism in his early years, then Cubism which he discovered when he was around 25 years old, and finally Abstractionism from 1921. He also designed sets and costumes for theater and ballet, and models for fabrics, carpets, and other objects.

Georges Valmier was born in Angoulême on 11 April 1885. He moved with his family to Montmartre in 1890, and was brought up in an environment of love of the arts, including music and painting. Valmier performed military service during 1904-1905. He entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he trained under Luc-Olivier Merson until 1909. He was drafted into the military in 1914 and assigned to service in Toul, where he became acquainted with Albert Gleizes.

Upon his return to Montmartre in 1918, Valmier met Léonce Rosenberg, who soon recognized the high quality of his work and took him under contract. In 1928, Rosenberg entrusted him with the decoration of the dining room of his apartment at rue de Longchamp in Paris, which also houses his art collection.

The early 1930s marked Valmier's final transition to abstractionism. He was an early member of the board of Abstraction-Création.

In 1936,Valmier began working on three monumental works for the decoration of the theater of the Palace of Railways for the World Expo held in Paris in 1937.

Valmier suffered ill-health since 1932, and died on 25 March 1937 in Montmartre.

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