Madeleine Lemaire | The Empress of Roses

Madame Madeleine Lemaire, née Coll (1845-1928) was a French painter and illustrator specialized in watercolour and oils of still-lives of flowers, especially roses, genre scenes and portraits.

Madeleine Lemaire was a pupil in Paris of the artists Madame Herbelin and of Charles Chaplin.

In 1864, she made her debut in the Paris Salon where she was to exhibit throughout her life, winning awards in 1877 and 1900.

She also exhibited at the Société des Aquarellistes from 1879.

Lemaire exhibited her work at the Palace of Fine Arts and The Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

Lemaire illustrated many books, notably those of Marcel Proust. e.g., Les plaisirs et les jours and Les fleurs á travers les âges.

Proust wrote of her, “C’est elle qui a crée le plus de roses après Dieu”.

She herself held a salon where she received high society in her hôtel particulier on the Rue de Monceau.

Lemaire was a great Hostess of the Belle-Epoque period and entertained many artistic figures of that time, for instance, Dumas Fils, Anatole France, Reynaldo Hahn, Jules Lemaître and it was at her house that Proust met, Robert de Montesquiou, one of the inspirations for the character Charlus.

Lemaire enjoyed enormous success during her lifetime as a painter so much so that she was known as the Empress of Roses.

In 1906, she was decorated with the Légion d’honneur.

Madeleine Lemaire (nata Jeanne Magdelaine Colle), era una pittrice ed illustratrice Francese di acquerelli ed olo, di nature morte di fiori, in particolare rose, scene di genere e ritratti.

Madeleine Lemaire è stata allieva a Parigi degli artisti Madame Herbelin e di Charles Chaplin.

Nel 1864 debuttò nel Salon di Parigi dove esporrà per tutta la vita, vincendo premi nel 1877 e nel 1900.

Espose anche alla Société des Aquarellistes dal 1879.

Lemaire illustrò molti libri, in particolare quelli di Marcel Proust. ad esempio, Les plaisirs et les jours e Les fleurs á travers les âges.

Proust ha scritto di lei, "C’est elle qui a crée le plus de roses après Dieu".

Lemaire è stata una grande padrona di casa del periodo Belle-Epoque e ha intrattenuto molte figure artistiche di quel tempo, ad esempio Dumas Fils, Anatole France, Reynaldo Hahn, Jules Lemaître ed è stato a casa sua che Proust incontrò Robert de Montesquiou, uno dei ispirazioni per il personaggio Charlus.

Lemaire ha avuto un enorme successo durante la sua vita come pittrice, tanto da essere conosciuta come l'Imperatrice delle Rose.

Nel 1906 fu decorata con la Legion d'Onore.