This little harbour town not only had an irresistable appeal for painters from France and Britain, but also for artists from further afield and a few of the principal characters are listed here.
Dimitrios Galanis (1880–1966) was originally from Greece but spent most of his life living and working in Paris where he was a contemporary of Picasso, Matisse and Braque amongst others. Although best known for his portrayal of the human form, he also produced many landscapes and Cassis was his subject on several occasions.
Hans Purmann (1880–1966) was an influential German artist who was a close associate of Henri Matisse. He spent some time in Paris before the First World War and certainly made a visit to Cassis in 1909. Other German painters who made the area a subject for their work include Anton Kölig (1846–1950), Richard Seewald (1889–1976) and Paul Kleinschmidt (1883–1949).
Isaac Grünewald (1889–1946) was born in Stockholm and studied in Paris as a pupil of Matisse. He was certainly influenced by the Post-Impressionist movement and he achieved considerable commercial success inspite of being the victim of anti-Semitism in the 1920’s. Other Scandanavian artists with a connection to the town include Tor Bjurström (1888–1966) and Arthur Olsen (1901–1986).
Petr Konchalovsky (1876–1956) was the son of an art publisher and the family moved to Moscow when he was 13 and the house became a hub of the city’s art scene. He spent time in Paris studying painting and was much influenced by the work of the Cézanne and the Fauves. He visited Cassis in 1913. The picture shown is Cassis, The Ships, 1913 (Petr Konchalovsky Foundation, Moscow). Among other Russian painters who visited the town are Alexander Iakovlev (1887–1938) and Alexandre Benois (1870–1960).
Moïse Kisling (1891–1953) was born in Kraków in Poland but moved to Paris in 1910 and became a French citizen after serving with the French Foreign Legion in the First World War. He lived and worked in Paris until the fall of France in 1940 when he emigrated to the United States but returned to France in 1946.
Rudolf Kundera (1911–2005) was originally from Brno in what is now the Czech Republic and after studying painting in Prague, with encouragement from Alfons Mucha, he moved to Paris in 1939. At the outbreak of war he travelled to the South of France and became involved in the Resistance movement. After the war he settled in Cassis and lived and worked there until his death in 2005. The picture shown is Vue aérienne du port (Galerie Marina, Cassis).
Many American artists were drawn to the town, particularly in the years following the First World War. A few of the better-known painters are listed here.
Yannall Abbott (1874–1938) originally trained as a lawyer but in mid-life his passion for painting and photography led him to a complete career change and his work was widely exhibited in the States and beyond. He was probably in Cassis in 1923 and 1927.
Jan Matulka (1890–1972) was born in a small town near Prague but his family emigrated to the United States when he was a teenager. Thereafter he trained as a painter in New York and after graduation he travelled to Paris where he was fascinated by the French art scene and he became a regular visitor throughout the 1920’s and early 30’s. Typical of his style is Untitled (Cassis Street Scene), 1930 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/ www.americanart.si.edu).
William Johnson (1901–1970) was born into a poor black family in South Carolina but moved to New York where he trained as an artist while working at a number of manual jobs to support himself. In 1926 he moved to Paris to continue his studies and over the course of the next 10 years he travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa and Scandinavia. Much of his work has a naive quality but some of his landscapes have a distinctive style evident in the paintings he made of Cassis in about 1927. One of these is shown, Street in Cassis I, 1926–29 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/www.americanart.si.edu).
Alexander Charles Robinson (1867–1952) studied in America and Paris and traveled extensively, finally settling in Cassis. He was a colourful and eccentric character and is well known for his watercolours of the port, one of which is to be found in the town’s museum, and also for his still life work, several examples of which are held by the Camargo Foundation.
Jerome Hill (1905–1972) came from a wealthy family and had a lifelong interest in the arts, ranging from music to drawing and painting, still photography to film making. He studied widely in America and Europe and spent almost every summer in the 1930’s painting in Cassis. After the Second World War he concentrated on film-making but his passion for all of the arts led him to establish the Jerome Foundation which promotes and nurtures young talent both in America and in Cassis through the work of the Camargo Foundation.
Cassis has been a ‘mecca’ for artists and writers for over one hundred and fifty years and it wears its international reputation with relaxed panache and still attracts those with a creative frame of mind. The Camargo Foundation, which occupies the old Panorama Hotel and several other buildings, offers a range of fellowships, residential courses, conferences, lectures and concerts all encouraging a deeper understanding of the arts and humanities in what can only be described as an idyllic environment.
SELECTED PAINTINGS AND WHERE THEY MAY BE SEEN
If works mentioned in the text do not appear in the list they are in private collections.
Petr Konchalovsky Cassis, The Ships, 1913 (Petr Konchalovsky Foundation, Moscow/www.pkonchalovsky.com)
William Johnson Street Scene in Cassis I, 1926–29 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/ www.americanart.si.edu)
Jan Matulka Untitled (Cassis Street Scene), 1930 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/ www.americanart.si.edu)
Petr Konchalovsky (1876–1956) was the son of an art publisher and the family moved to Moscow when he was 13 and the house became a hub of the city’s art scene. He spent time in Paris studying painting and was much influenced by the work of the Cézanne and the Fauves. He visited Cassis in 1913. The picture shown is Cassis, The Ships, 1913 (Petr Konchalovsky Foundation, Moscow). Among other Russian painters who visited the town are Alexander Iakovlev (1887–1938) and Alexandre Benois (1870–1960).
Rudolf Kundera (1911–2005) was originally from Brno in what is now the Czech Republic and after studying painting in Prague, with encouragement from Alfons Mucha, he moved to Paris in 1939. At the outbreak of war he travelled to the South of France and became involved in the Resistance movement. After the war he settled in Cassis and lived and worked there until his death in 2005. The picture shown is Vue aérienne du port (Galerie Marina, Cassis).
Jan Matulka (1890–1972) was born in a small town near Prague but his family emigrated to the United States when he was a teenager. Thereafter he trained as a painter in New York and after graduation he travelled to Paris where he was fascinated by the French art scene and he became a regular visitor throughout the 1920’s and early 30’s. Typical of his style is Untitled (Cassis Street Scene), 1930 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/ www.americanart.si.edu).
William Johnson (1901–1970) was born into a poor black family in South Carolina but moved to New York where he trained as an artist while working at a number of manual jobs to support himself. In 1926 he moved to Paris to continue his studies and over the course of the next 10 years he travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa and Scandinavia. Much of his work has a naive quality but some of his landscapes have a distinctive style evident in the paintings he made of Cassis in about 1927. One of these is shown, Street in Cassis I, 1926–29 (Smithsonian American Art Museum/www.americanart.si.edu).
