Nationality
French
Artist Dates
1808-1879
Title of Work
Oui, mon oncle, mon vertueux oncle, je fus dissipateur, joueur, débauché, j’eus bien des torts …
Preview
Date of Work
1838
Medium
Sur Blanc
Identification #
2016.001.0989
Collection/Provenance
University Art Collections: Lilly Jacobson Collection, Art & Design Dept.
Status
Stored: R31
Location
UND Art Collections Gallery at the Empire Arts Center
Artist Bio
Honoré Daumier was a prolific painter, printmaker and caricaturist born in 1808 in Marseille, France. In 1822 Daumier studied under Alexandre Lenoir, an artist and archaeologist that was dedicated to saving French monuments during the French Revolution. One year later he went on to attend the Académie Suisse. His works are best known for commenting and critiquing on the 19th century social and political life in France. Honoré Daumier's works can be found at the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum, and several other prominent collections internationally. The University of North Dakota holds more than 1600 works by Daumier, the vast majority of which are part of the Lilly Jacobson Collection, which can be accessed here: https://commons.und.edu/daumier-prints/.
Aside from making powerful politically-charged images that reflected his pro-republican views, Daumier satirized lawyers, doctors, businessmen, professors, and lifestyles of the bourgeoisie. Although the inscriptions that accompany Daumier’s lithographs were not written by him, one might assume they mostly conveyed the spirit of the artist’s intent behind his images.
Additional Information
Series: Caricaturana
Published in Album Caricaturana (Les Robert Macaires)
Original text: Oui, mon oncle, mon vertueux oncle, je fus dissipateur, joueur, débauché, j’eus bien des torts, en un mot, je fus léger : mais vous êtes malade, très malade, les médecins vous abandonnent…….. J’accours, je tombe à vos pieds, je jure….. tout ce que vous voudrez et je ne vous quitterai qu’à la mort, mon bon oncle, mon excellent oncle ! Embrassons- nous et que cela finisse. Macaire, légataire universel, fait jeter son cher oncle dans la fosse commune.
Here Robert Macaire (a fictional character) seeks financial gain by exploiting a terminally-ill uncle who is already beyond medical help.
Rights
Images are provided for educational purposes only and may not be reproduced for commercial use. Images may be protected by artist copyright. A credit line is required to be used for any public non-commercial educational purpose. The credit line must include, “Image courtesy of the University of North Dakota.”