Madeleine Rouart (1896-1986)

Madeleine Rouart grew up in a family devoted to painting. Her grandfather, Henri Rouart, was one of the largest collectors of contemporary art of the o=period. His collection included works by Manet, Renoir and Degas. Her father, Alexis Rouart, was also a discerning collector who had established a great friendship with Degas, who was their dinner guest every Friday night. Her uncle, Ernest Rouart, also a collector, married Julie Manet, daughter of Berthe Morisot and niece of Edouard Manet.

Rouart began painting at the early age of thirteen, and her sense of color and composition was innate. Living in a most privileged artistic atmosphere, she was fortunate to have her work critiqued by Renoir, Manet, Dufy and Degas.

She became a master of floral expression and her watercolors reflected her feelings for the landscapes, which she painted while traveling to distant locations such as the Riviera and Algeria.

Madeleine Rouart lived the life of an accomplished artist. Starting with her first show at the Bernheim Gallerie in Paris in 1923, her art was showing galleries throughout Europe until 1978. Spanning fifty-five years, this widely recognized and respected artist's work has been sought after and collected throughout the world.