Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour (29 June 1838 – 29 November 1910) was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator. He was known for his war art.
Biography Berne-Bellecour was born on 29 June 1838 in Boulogne, France. He studied under François-Édouard Picot and Félix-Joseph Barrias. He initially painted landscapes and portraits. He worked in photography to support himself while he studied. He also attended the École des Beaux-Arts and competed for the Prix de Rome in 1859.
Berne-Bellecour, along with his brother-in-law Jehan Georges Vibert, produced a comedic play titled "La Tribune Mécanique" which was performed at the Palais Royal in 1862. He showcased his works at several Salons in the 1860s and later.
He won a prize for photography at the Universal Exposition of 1867. In 1868, Vibert encouraged Berne-Bellecour to devote himself entirely to painting.
Berne-Bellecour, Vibert, and Alexander Louis Leloir went on a trip to Africa in 1870, later returning to fight in the Franco-Prussian War. They served in the Francs-tireurs de la Seine alongside fellow artists Hector Leroux, , , and the sculptor Joseph Cuvelier.Édouard Detaille was also on the hunting trip, but he served in the 8th Mobile Bataillon of the French Army. "They fought bravely at Malmaison" in the Battle of Buzenval.Mlochowski de Bélina, Apollo. Nos peintres dessinés par eux-mêmes: notes humoristiques et esquisses biographiques, Paris: E. Bernard, 1883, pp. 38 and 463; see also Montrosier, Eugène. Les peintres militaires, Paris: Librairie artistique, H. Launette, 1881, pp. 38-39. Berne-Bellecour depicted the engagement in a painting made five years later. He won a medal for gallantry under fire and went on to paint many military subjects.
He also practiced as a sculptor and an etcher. He was named a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor in 1878.
Berne-Bellecour died in Paris on 29 November 1910. His son Jean-Jacques Berne-Bellecour (1874–1939) was also a military painter.
Gallery
References
External links
Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour at the Art Renewal Center Etienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour at J.M. Stringer Gallery