Daumier Honore

Biography

Honoré Victorin Daumier (born February 26, 1808 in Marseille and died February 10, 1879 in Valmondois) was a French engraver, caricaturist, painter and sculptor famous for his works commenting on social and political life in France in the 19th century. A prolific draftsman with over four thousand lithographs to his credit, he is best known for his caricatures of politicians and his satires of the behavior of his compatriots.
Although his value as a painter, with around five hundred paintings, was not recognised until after his death, Daumier is today considered one of the greatest French painters of the 19th century.
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Born in Marseille to Jean Baptiste Louis Daumier and Cécile Catherine Philip, Honoré Daumier showed an artistic predisposition from a young age. Despite his father's attempts to dissuade him from this path, Daumier entered the Académie Suisse in 1823 and began producing lithographs for the publisher Belliard. In 1829, he made his debut in the field of political caricature with Charles Philipon for the magazine La Silhouette. He became known for his satirical lithographs in La Caricature, in which he sharply criticized the politicians of the July Monarchy. In 1832, he was sentenced to six months in prison for his caricature of Louis-Philippe as Gargantua. After his conviction, Daumier was imprisoned several times and even encouraged the painter Paul Huet to take up political caricature. The censorship imposed in 1835 limited his work to the satire of bourgeois morals. He continued this work until 1848 and became friends with the art dealer Adolphe Beugniet, who bought many of Daumier's drawings. His work continues to influence the art of political caricature and social satire, and he remains a prominent figure in 19th-century French art.
His legacy is preserved through his works exhibited in various museums and collections around the world.