Bernard Cathelin (20 May 1919 – 17 April 2004) was a French painter born in Paris and a member of the School of Paris which included Picasso, Chagall, Frenel, Matisse, Dufy and many others including Maurice Brianchon, Cathelin's teacher at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Although he received critical acclaim as early as 1950, Cathelin was not able to live solely from his painting until 1955. Since that time Cathelin has received steadily increasing recognition and has been featured in over 50 exhibitions worldwide. Throughout his life, he maintained a deep-rooted love for his country and especially for the Drôme, where his mother came from.
Early life Born in Paris in 1919, Bernard Cathelin held a profound affection for his home, the Drome, his mother's place of origin, throughout his life. His educational journey included classical studies at the lycées Carnot and Janson de Sailly in Paris, as well as the lycée Emile Loubet in Valence.
In 1939, he enlisted in the army. Following his military service and return in 1945, Cathelin pursued studies at the French National School for further studies in the Decorative Arts. During this period, he also honed his craft in the studio of Maurice Brianchon for three years.
Art Cathelin part of the School of Paris was famous for oil paintings and lithographs with a richness of texture and vivid colour. The three favorite themes in Cathelin's work are still life, landscapes and portraits of women.
Cathelin had traveled extensively around the world. Countries such as Mexico, Russia, Japan, Italy and Spain were a source of inspiration for his creations: and ever the landscapes of the Drôme in and neighbouring Provence where he found his roots.
Honors Elected to the Legion of Honour by the French President of the Republic, François Mitterrand in 1995, the Musée de Valence dedicated him a retrospective of his work in the summer of 1997. This exhibition, by drawing local and worldwide visitors, established a new attendance record for the museum.
In the summer of 1997, the Musée de Valence paid tribute to Bernard Cathelin with a dedicated retrospective of his work. This exhibition attracted both local and international visitors, setting a new attendance record for the museum.
In 2000, the Shanghai Art Museum in China organised a retrospective exhibition presenting 40 years of Bernard Cathelin's works.
Bernard Cathelin died on 17 April 2004, but exhibitions are often dedicated to him in France and across the world.
Biography
1939Volunteer for service1945-1953Study then teach at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France1950Cathelin is awarded the Blumenthal prize1951Henri Matisse entrusts Cathelin with the production of a lithographic poster based on Nattier's portrait of Mme de Pompadour1953Awarded the Emily Loewe Prize1954Marries Régine Steiner1957First personal exhibition at the Saint-Placide Gallery in Paris1958Awarded the Othon Friesz PrizeSelected by the David Findlay gallery for an exhibition in New York. On November 2, the New York Herald Tribune features him on Sunday's supplement's cover page1960-1966Several exhibitions at the David Findlay Gallery in New York and Marcel Guiot Gallery in Paris, France1967Trips to Russia and Japan. Exhibition at the Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan1973Creation of his first tapestry, The Mexican Market, by Atelier 3, Paris, France1976Madeleine Cathelin-Terrail donation: Bernard Cathelin gives 50 lithographs to the Valence Museum in memory of his mother1978Exhibition at the BP Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium1980Exhibition at the Chapelle du Grand Couvent, Cavaillon, France1981Exhibition in the Château de Vascueil, Normandy, France1983Exhibition at the Yoshii Gallery, Paris. Presentation of the book featuring to the 10 Haïkaï, E.F. Mourlot editionsExhibition at the Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, USA1984 Exhibition at the Galerie Pierre Hautot, Paris, France1985Exhibition at the Pierre Granada Foundation, Martigny, Switzerland.1986Exhibition at the Denis Stinson Gallery, Palm Springs, USAExhibition at the Mazarine Gallery, Montréal, Canada1987Major exhibition in the Château de Chenonceau, France1988 Art Expo, New York1989Exhibition at Art LondonExhibition at the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, Canada Exhibition at the Hermann Gallery, Esse, GermanyExhibition at the Gage Gallery, Irving, Los Angeles, USA1990Exhibition at the Francony Gallery, Paris, France Exhibition at the Printemps Ginza Gallery, Tokyo, JapanExhibition at the Kinetsu Gallery, Osaka, Japan 1991Exhibition at the Art Chicago, Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Chicago, USAExhibition at Artfrance, Paris, France 1992Edition of 8 lithographs to decorate the Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel, JapanExhibition at the Elysium Gallery, New York, USAAwarded the "Golden 26" by the French département of the DrômeElected painter for the Aix-en-Provence summer art festival1993Creation of a poster for the 10th Tain l'Hermitage Wine Festival1994Retrospective in the Daimaru Museum in Tokyo and Osaka, JapanExhibition at Essec International Management Development, CNIT, Paris La Defense, France1995Elected to the Legion of Honour by the French President of the Republic, Mr François MitterrandExhibition at the Trianon de Bagatelle, Paris, France1996Art Miami, Buschlen Mowatt GalleryExhibition at the Seita Museum, Paris, France1997Exhibition at the Europ'Art, Geneva International Art Fair, SwitzerlandRetrospective in the Valence Museum, France1998Exhibition at the Alliance Française in SingaporeExhibition of tapestries at the Wacoal Art Center in Tokyo, JapanExhibition of tapestries and lithographs in Mitsukoshi, Sapporo, Japan1999Exhibition at the Philharmonic Center for Art in Naples, Florida, USA2000Retrospective Exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum, China2004Bernard Cathelin died on April 17
References Pascal Bonafoux, Cathelin, 2000 Editions Ides et Calendes, Neuchâtel (Suisse) .
External links https://web.archive.org/web/20121118064433/http://www.buschlenmowatt.com/artists/bernard-cathelin https://web.archive.org/web/20150416100736/http://www.museedevalence.fr/fr/cathelin-comme-jamais http://www.montelimar.fr/reportages.php?galerie=56&them=4#reportage http://www.galeriesapet.fr/Cathelin/Cathelin.htm http://culturebox.francetvinfo.fr/expositions/peinture/grand-succes-pour-la-retrospective-cathelin-a-montelimar-66199 http://culturebox.francetvinfo.fr/visite-inedite-de-latelier-du-peintre-bernard-cathelin-dans-la-drome-15025 http://www.galerie-yoshii.com/profile.php?p=b_cathelin http://www.etudesdromoises.com/pages/pages_revue/resumes_d_articles/cathelin.htm