Camille Hilaire

Camille Hilaire was born on August 2, 1916 in France. Hillaire began painting from a young age. At fifteen he discovered the works of Albrecht Dürer in his citiy's library and started making copies. His drawings, because they were hung up in a bookschop, drew the attention of the director of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was due to this Hilaire enrolled at Beaux-Arts. With the help of a scholarship Hilaire travelled around Spain and Italy and was greatly influenced by the art he found there. In 1942 he came under the tutelage of André L'hote, a renowned Cubist artist. Hilaire's paintings do reveal a certain influence from Cubism, but they lack the rigidity of the early years of the movement. His first exhibition was held in Paris, 1951; after this he exhibited at international art faires in Geneva, Cannes and Deauville. Hilaire's compositions can be described as subtle and his paintings display a sense of calm in their transmition of patterns and elements. His nudes were remarkable as well and contain a provocative grace. Nowadays a great number of monographs can be found to be devoted to him, along with films and documentaries. Hilaire left a arge body of work and a strong influence on French painters of the mid-twentieth century behind, when he passed away in 2004.