George de Feure (1869-1943)

Born: 1869; Paris
Died: 1943: Paris
Nationality: Dutch/French

Biography of George De Feure

Georges de Feure (real name Georges Joseph van Sluÿters, 6 September 1868 – 26 November 1943) was a French painter, theatrical designer, and industrial art designer in the symbolism and Art Nouveau styles.

De Feure was born in Paris. His father was an affluent Dutch architect, and his mother was Belgian.

Although George de Feure was Dutch by birth, he had permanently settled in Paris by 1890. In 1886, de Feure was one of the eleven students admitted at the Rijkscademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, which he did however leave very quickly for Paris since he felt that formal academic training had nothing to offer him. Being of very independent nature, de Feure never again took up formal artistic studies, and forged his own independent path. He was however influenced by Jules Chéret in his posters for the café concert but most likely was never his pupil and became the key designer of Siegfried Bing for L’Art Nouveau. He showed work in the Exposition Universelle de Paris exhibition in 1900. He designed furniture, worked for newspapers, created theater designs for Le Chat Noir cabaret and posters.

His paintings were exhibited at the Societé Nationale in 1894, in the Salon de la Rose Croix of 1893 and 1894, and at the 1896 Munich Secession. At this time, he was also designing interiors and held a post of professor of decorative arts at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Some of de Feure’s best works are posters done in the Art Nouveau style. These usually contain stylish young women and emphasize the colors brown, green, and rose. The elegance of these popular images caused Lady Abdy to name de Feure “the poet of the poster.”

In August 1901, de Feure was nominated Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur for his contribution to the decorative arts. He died in poverty at the age of 75 years in Paris.