Maurice Utrillo French Painter of the early 1900’s

Maurice Utrillo  Maurice was born on December 26 th, 1883, the son of Suzanne Valadon.  His mother was a famous painter and a model for Renoir, Degas and Toulouse Lautrec.  Maurice was raised by his grandmother who was quite strict!  As a young child his mother taught him to paint.

Maurice Utrillo  Maurice liked to model for his mother’s paintings, because he could spend time with her.  When he was 8 years old, Miguel Utrillo, a Spanish art critic and a friend of his mothers’ was worried that he did not have a father and gave him his last name.  After recognizing Maurice as his son this was the last time he would see him!

Maurice Utrillo  Maurice did not do well at school, he was withdrawn and shy.  His mother suggested painting as an outlet for his unhappiness.  She taught him well, but he had emotional and physical problems to overcome.  At 18 he was put in an Asylum to fight his illness, he had problems with Alcoholism and was institutionalized many times in life.  Maurice liked the Asylum as a retreat and took up painting again as therapy.

Maurice Utrillo  In the fall and winter of 1903, he created over 150 canvases.  All of his paintings contained some kind of architecture, he seldom painted portraits.  He once said, ‘I believe I am too shy. I cannot look people straight in the eye, so cannot paint them well. Sometimes I do paint human figures but the further in the background they are, the better I like them.’

Maurice Utrillo  One rainy evening in 1905, unable to sell any of his paintings to a gallery, he walked up to a man in the street and offered him a painting.  The stranger happened to be the son of a famous artist, Pisarro.  This man recognized the value of the paintings and by the next day all of Maurice’s paintings had been sold!

Maurice Utrillo  Art critics finally began to see Utrillo, an unknown artist, as an asset to the art world.  The years 1906 to 1914 were considered to be the era when Utrillo’s genius blossomed, his paintings during this time were called the ‘White Period’ because he used a lot of lead white paint.  By 1920 Maurice Utrillo was famous throughout the world.

Maurice Utrillo  He was unfit to serve in the army during the four years of World War 1, Utrillo painted over 1,200 canvases during the war time.  By 1925 he was quite poorly in health and he was in and out of the asylum. He would drink all day and paint all night.  Maurice was declared incompetent and all of his money affairs were turned over to his mother and step-father. The 3 of them argued all the time as they tried to live together!

Maurice Utrillo  At the age of 55, Maurice married a family friend, a painter named Laucie, age 66.  He was very happy to be married and not living with his mother and stepfather anymore and declared himself free and stopped drinking!  He was looked after by his wife for the rest of his life.  Maurice died of heart complications in 1955, he was 72 years old.

Maurice Utrillo  

Maurice Utrillo  ‘Street in the Suburbs’ 1916, Oil on Canvas