Honoré Daumier
France1808-1879
Honoré Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker whose work spans from the 1830 July Revolution to the fall of the Second Empire. Born in Marseille in 1808, the son of a glazier with literary ambitions, he learned lithography in his twenties and became famous for his caricatures in La Caricature and Le Charivari. Daumier satirized the monarchy, politicians, lawyers, and bourgeoisie with fearless wit, spending six months in prison in 1832 for his caricature Gargantua of King Louis Philippe. After press censorship tightened in 1835, his work shifted toward society and daily Parisian life. Though he produced thousands of prints, his paintings remained largely unknown in his lifetime, overlooked by critics but admired by fellow artists including Baudelaire and later influencing Impressionism. Moving to Île Saint-Louis in 1846, he devoted himself increasingly to painting, exploring bold compositions and daring brushwork that anticipated modern art. He died in Valmondois in 1879, his legacy secured by a major exhibition that finally recognized him as one of France's greatest artists.
