MAUFRA, Maxime
(b. 1861, Nantes, d. 1918, Poncé-sur-le-Loir)

Biography

French painter and printmaker. He began painting under the guidance of local painters in Nantes such as the brothers Charles Leduc (b. 1831) and Alfred Leduc (c. 1850-1913) and the landscape painter Charles Le Roux (1841-1895). Having originally intended to go into business, he turned to painting after a visit in 1883 to Britain, where he first saw the work of Turner. Back in Nantes he was encouraged to take up art by Charles Le Roux, who initiated him into the techniques of the Impressionists.

He exhibited for the first time in 1886 at Nantes and in the Paris Salon with critical approval. After the successful exhibition he decided to devote himself full time to his painting. He admired Monet and Sisley and was influenced by Whistler. He travelled throughout Brittany and met Gauguin at Pont-Aven in 1890.

Maufra settled in Paris in 1892 at the Bateau-Lavoir but returned to Brittany each year, in particular to the Quiberon region. In 1894 Le Barc de Boutteville mounted an exhibition of his work which revealed his individual talents to a wider public. He subsequently exhibited with Durand-Ruel, to whom he remained under contract for the rest of his life. His art was enriched by his travels in the Dauphiné (1904), the Midi (1912), Algeria (1913) and Savoy (1914), and also by his exploration of etching and lithography.