Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon, whose real name was Marie-Clémentine Valade, was born in the Limousin area of France on September 23, 1865, the daughter of a widowed washerwoman and an unknown father.

She was an artist, a model for a number of famous painters of her time and later a painter in her own right, a free spirit, bohemian and capricious to the point of being extravagant, passionate, bold and the mother of the painter Maurice Utrillo. We can see her in paintings by Toulouse Lautrec, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, among others.

When she was 16, she joined the Pigalle circus as an acrobat and formed part of the bohemian life of Montmartre, and it was here that Toulouse Lautrec first saw her. Her career as an acrobat did not last very long due to a fall that put an end to it, but Lautrec was very impressed by her beauty and asked her to pose for him. They later became lovers.

From a very young age, Suzanne had shown a great ability to draw. Lautrec discovered her drawings and, recognizing her skill, he showed them to Degas who took her on as a student. From him and from the many painters of the circle of artists that she posed for, Suzanne acquired her wonderful technique. She started with a series of drawings dedicated to the intimate occupation of the toilette. From Lautrec she learned the use of color and Degas taught her how to use the etching process. Although Suzanne learned from all the artists that she worked with, she never copied them; her painting was always very personal.

In 1883, when she was 18 years old, she gave birth to her son, Maurice Valadon, whom we know today as Maurice Utrillo, considered to be the quintessential painter of Montmartre. Suzanne never knew who Maurice’s father was, and it was Miquel Utrillo, Suzanne’s partner for a number of years, who adopted him and gave him his name.

In 1896, Suzanne married Paul Moussis, a stockbroker, and the marriage lasted until 1909 when she left him. She was 44 years old at the time and decided to move in with 23-year-old painter André Utter, a friend of Maurice. They were married in 1914 and were together for 24 years. Suzanne, André and Maurice formed the Trinité maudite, a family group that became famous for their eccentricities and their disorderly and self-destructive lifestyle.  André posed for several of Suzanne’s paintings.

Suzanne’s extensive work includes still lifes, landscapes and portraits. She is known for her use of color and the strength of her drawing. She was a perfectionist who worked incessantly on her paintings before they were shown, and today we can see her brilliant work in several important museums around the world.

Suzanne continued to paint until she died, on April 7, 1938, at the age of 72, surrounded by her artist friends. She was buried at the Saint-Ouen Cemetery.