JEAN-GABRIEL DOMERGUE
....
The XXth Century
BIOGRAPHY
Jean-Gabriel DOMERGUE (1889-1962)
Jean-Gabriel Domergue was born in Bordeaux, France on March 4th, 1889. An extremely talented and precocious painter, Domergue exhibited works at the Salon Des Artistes Français (the French Artists Exhibition) in 1906 at the young age of seventeen. In 1913, he was awarded the Second Prize of Rome and went on to win the gold medal award in the 1920 show. He then began showing outside the exhibition. Having first been recognized for his landscapes which he painted with great ease, his career took a decisive turn during the 1920’s. At this time he became the painter of the « Parisian lady ». Domergue invented a new type of woman : thin, airy, elegant, with a swanlike neck and wide seductive eyes which gaze upon the world with longing. “I invented the pin-up » he later claimed. He went on to paint approximately 3,000 portraits. Even though Domergue painted numerous nudes using fashionable actresses or young dancers as his models, he was nevertheless, highly prized in the aristocratic and high society circles painting individuals such as Liane de Pougy or Nadine, the future Baroness of Rothschild. Domergue was also one the main organizers for famous Parisian gala events such as « The Venetian Ball »
Bibliography :
– Gérard-Louis-Soyer, “Jean-Gabriel Domergue, l’art et la mode”, éd. Sous le Vent, 1984
– Bénézit, “Dictionnaire des peintres”, Gründ, 1999.
Museum :
– Villa Domergue, Cannes
(La villa Fiesole, ancienne propriété des Domergue, léguée à la ville de Cannes en 1973 par Odette Domergue).
Réf. 6371
oil on canvas
Signed lower left and titled ‘Désinvolture’ on the reverse
DIMENSIONS :
– 73 x 60 cm (98 x 85 cm cadre inclus)
– 28 3/4 x 23 5/8 in. (38 5/8 x 33 1/2 in. framed)
This elegant female figure perfectly embodies the ideal of beauty and refinement that brought Jean-Gabriel Domergue renown during the 1950s. With her proud bearing, delicately sketched gaze, and an expression that is at once alluring and aloof, this young woman personifies the “Parisienne” of the artist’s dreams. Wearing a sophisticated hat adorned with feathers and long black gloves, she evokes the glamorous post-war social scene—a world of rediscovered elegance where fashion, femininity, and the art of living took center stage. The soft background tones, paired with vibrant splashes of red on the lips and accessories, heighten the atmosphere of charm and modernity. The title “Désinvolture” (Nonchalance) perfectly captures the model’s attitude: the natural grace, quiet confidence, and apparent ease that characterize Domergue’s female subjects.
