Victor Charreton

Born near Auvergne into a wealthy family, Victor Charreton had a love for the arts even as a child. He began his career in painting rather late in life, after leaving his initial profession of law.

Today, Charreton is renowned for his landscapes documenting the changing seasons in France, as well as in Southern Europe and Africa. He was a true environmentalist, acquiring poplars near La Tour Fondue to save them from being destroyed. Seduced by nature, Charreton embarked on an artistic journey that was incredibly heartfelt, intimate and expressive. His works are incomparable in their technique and execution, making him the quintessential Post Impressionist landscape artist at the turn of the century. 

He started exhibiting in 1894 in Lyon, and later that year in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Française, but it wasn’t until he relocated to Paris in 1902 that he was able to devote himself entirely to painting. In 1903, he became one of the founding members of the Salon d'Automne, and his work soon gained international attention and critical acclaim. 

From 1910 forward, Charreton was awarded numerous prizes and medals. In 1914, he became a member of the prominent Salon jury, as well as being made a Knight of the Legion of Honor. He participated in many exhibitions in France and abroad, and founded the Ecole de Murol with Leon Boudal, which attracted many international painters of the Neo Impressionist style. In 1931, he inaugurated the Museé Victor Charreton near Lyon.

Charreton's works are housed in some of the most prestigious museums throughout Europe and the United States, and are rarely available for acquisition. No collection of modern art should be considered complete without his inclusion.