Maclet, Élisée
(French, 1881–1962)
Élisée Maclet was a French naïve painter known for his depictions of Parisian streets.
Élisée Maclet was a French naïve painter known for his depictions of Parisian streets.
Élisée Maclet was a French naïve painter known for his depictions of Parisian streets. Born on April 12, 1881 in Lyons-en-Santerre, France, Maclet worked with his father as a gardener during his youth, and was taught the basics of painting by the local parish priest. Despite his father’s misgivings, Maclet moved to Paris in 1906 to pursue a career as an artist. Living in the neighborhood of Montmarte, he supported himself through odd jobs, including decorating props for the Moulin Rouge and painting dolls. Following World War I, Maclet received an increasing amount of recognition for his depictions of Paris, and in 1923, he earned the patronage of a wealthy Austrian manufacturer, Baron von Fray. Von Fray went on to fund he artist’s painting expeditions through the South of France in the years that followed. Maclet returned to Paris in 1932, where he continued to produce work despite suffering from mental illness. The artist died on August 23, 1962 in Paris, France.
