11 Works, Today, March 22nd. is artist André Utter's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes 80

Andre utter (French, 1886--1948)

Small nude

Oil on board

34 x 41.3 cm. (13.4 x 16.3 in.)

Private collection

André Utter (20 March 1886 – 7 February 1948) was a French painter. He was in the 18th arrondissement of Paris to parents of Alsatian origin. He is best known for having been the second husband and manager of French painter Suzanne Valadon and the father-in-law of her son, Maurice Utrillo. The trio have also been called the trinité maudite (cursed trinity) due to their atmosphere of quarrels, reconciliations and alcoholism.

Suzanne Valadon

Self Portrait with Family, c.1910

(André Utter, Madeleine Valadon and Maurice Utrillo)

Centre Pompidou

From left to right: André Utter – her soon-to-be husband, 21 years her junior, the artist herself, Maurice Utrillo – her son, and Magdeleine Valadon – the artist’s mother, who had been responsible for Utrillo’s upbringing.

A playful, but stinging anecdote, allegedly told by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, captures the intrigue of those times:

“After Maurice was born to Suzanne Valadon, she went to Renoir, for whom she had modeled nine months previously. Renoir looked at the baby and said, ‘He can’t be mine, the color is terrible!’ Next she went to Degas, for whom she had also modeled. He said, ‘He can’t be mine, the form is terrible!’ At a cafe, Valadon saw an artist she knew named Miguel Utrillo, to whom she spilled her woes. The man told her to call the baby Utrillo: ‘I would be glad to put my name to the work of either Renoir or Degas!’” More on this painting

In 1906, Utter was introduced to Suzanne Valadon by his friend Maurice Utrillo, her son-in-law. He became her lover and was her first male model to pose nude for her from 1909 to 1914.

Andre utter (French, 1886--1948)

Nude in black stockings

Oil on cardboard

39 x 55 cm. (15.4 x 21.7 in.)

The couple married shortly before Utterwas drafted into World War I. When he returned in 1918, he took over the management of the careers of Valadon and Utillro.


In 1934, the couple divorced. He remained part of her life until she died four years later. He is buried with Valadon in the Saint Ouen cemetery in Paris.

Andre Utter (French, 1886–1948)

Jardin du 12 de la rue Cortot, Paris, ca 1913

Oil on canvas

54 x 65 cm. (21.3 x 25.6 in.)

Private collection

Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955)

Moulin de la Galette sous la neige à Montmartre, c. 1945

Oil on canvas

19 5/8 x 24 in.

Private collection

Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955)

The atelier Atelier de Suzanne Valadon et de Maurice Utrilloat, 12 rue Cortot

Musée de Montmartre, Paris

From 1910, he produced numerous landscape paintings, and in particular of rue Cortot (See above) where his studio was located. After 1925, his work consisted mainly of portraits and still life. The also painted theatre sets. Inspired by cubism, his work took on a softer tone after World War I.

Andre Utter (French, 1886–1948)

Nu féminin , c. 1919

Oil on canvas

65 x 50 cm. (25.6 x 19.7 in.)

Private collection

Andre Utter (French, 1886–1948)

Nature morte au mannequin , c. 1924

Oil on canvas

82 x 65 cm. (32.3 x 25.6 in.)

Private collection

Between 1915 and 1922 and again from 1925 and 1932, there were several joint exhibitions in Paris, including in the gallery of Berthe Weill. In 1925, he illustrated the "Théâtre à lire" by Oscar Wilde. He had a solo exhibition in Geneva in 1932, but was unsuccessful as a painter.

André Utter

Suzanne Valadon combing her hair, c. 1913

Oil on canvas

Paris, Museum of Modern Art of the city of Paris.

Andre Utter (French, 1886–1948)

Nature morte au mannequin, Suzanne Valadon, c. 1924

Oil on canvas

82 x 65 cm. (32.3 x 25.6 in.)

Private collection

One of André Utter's best known works is Suzanne Valadon se coiffant (Suzanne Valadon combing her hair) (See above), painted in 1913 and displayed in the Petit Palais museum in Genève. Other works are displayed in many museums including the Brou museum in Bourg-en-Bresse; the museum of fine arts in Lyon; the modern art museum of Troyes and the musée d'art moderne et contemporain in Strasbourg.

Suzanne Valadon

Adam et Eve, c. 1909

Oil on canvas

162 x 131 cm.

Center Pompidou, Paris (France)

Portrait of the painter and André Utter as Eve and Adam at the fall of man.

He is portrayed as Adam in Suzanne Valadon's 1909 painting Adam et Ève (See above). More on André Utter

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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