Ambroise Vollard

Biography

Born on 3 July 1866 in Saint-Denis, Réunion, Ambroise Vollard left the island for mainland France to study law in Paris. Quickly drawn to the art market, in 1893 he opened a first gallery on rue Laffitte, then a second at number 6 on the same street, which became one of the nerve centres of the Parisian avant-garde. In 1895 he organised Paul Cézanne's first major solo exhibition, a bold gamble that introduced the master from Aix to the public and secured Vollard's place in the history of modern art for good.

Throughout his career he championed and promoted the work of Gauguin, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Picasso and Matisse, buying and reselling entire studio collections. He also published print albums and artists' books, known as “livres Vollard”, in collaboration with Bonnard, Degas and Picasso, becoming a major art publisher. His “Mémoires d'un marchand de tableaux” (Recollections of a Picture Dealer, 1937) remains a valuable account of the behind-the-scenes art market of the Belle Époque. Vollard died on 22 July 1939 in a car accident. A museum in Saint-Denis, Réunion, is dedicated to him.

Contribution

A major Parisian art dealer; organiser of the first Cézanne exhibition in 1895; promoter of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Degas; publisher of artists' books (livres Vollard).

Legacy

Regarded as one of the most influential art dealers of the 20th century; his name remains linked to the modern art revolution in Europe; the Musée Vollard in Saint-Denis, Réunion.