Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee - Géraldine TAILFER
PIERRE PUVIS DE CHAVANNES AND HIS WORK
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Pierre Puvis de Chavannes — Hope, 1872, Musée d'Orsay collections, Paris (Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee archives)
Following the passing of Bertrand Puvis de Chavannes, UFE expert from 2019 to 2023, on October 24, 2023, in Paris, the Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee, with the family's agreement, was reactivated in 2025 under the leadership of our expert Géraldine TAILFER and Laetitia Emery-Le Quoy — President and Administrator of the Committee. It will henceforth respond to the numerous requests for expertise regarding the works of the master Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
Who is the artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (Lyon 1824–Paris 1898)?
A major 19th-century painter, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes holds a unique place in the French artistic landscape, at the intersection of classicism, symbolist idealism, and post-Haussmannian republican aspirations. His work, informed by erudition and a profound sense of mural composition, developed on the fringes of the avant-garde while exerting a lasting influence on European modernist movements. Recognized during his lifetime as an official artist—without ever departing from a stripped-back and meditative aesthetic—Puvis designed vast decorative cycles for major civil and cultural institutions: the Sorbonne, the Paris City Hall, the Panthéon, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His art, characterized by lyrical sobriety, explores themes of meditation, virtue, labor, and myth within a delicate, almost mineral palette. His visual language, based on synthesis, silent monumentality, and chromatic restraint, foreshadowed the explorations of Symbolism and deeply inspired artists such as Seurat, Redon, Gauguin, and Matisse. The work of Puvis de Chavannes is currently undergoing a critical rediscovery. The Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee is part of this dynamic, working toward the recognition, protection of moral rights, and rigorous documentation of his corpus.Composition and functions of the new Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee.
Founded in 2001 by Bertrand Puvis de Chavannes (1949–2023), a recognized specialist in the artist's work and a member of the UFE from 2019 to 2023, the Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee's mission is to guarantee the authenticity, preservation, promotion, and defense of the moral rights of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. Composed of members of the artist's family—descendants of Édouard, Marie-Antoinette, and Joséphine Puvis de Chavannes, the painter's brother and sisters—as well as independent specialists, art historians, and heritage professionals, the Committee acts collectively, adhering to a rigorous and confidential methodology. Its primary functions are:- the expertise of works attributed to the artist, conducted in camera and according to a strict protocol, resulting in the issuance of certificates of authenticity;
- the enrichment and updating of the reference archives for the work;
- advising institutions, collectors, and art market professionals;
- The defense of the integrity and memory of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes' work.
Committee Members:
The Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee is led by two active members, Géraldine Tailfer-Augustinus and Laetitia Emery-Le Quoy, who handle its direction, daily management, and the drafting of expertise letters. They continue the work initiated by Bertrand Puvis de Chavannes with rigor and commitment, in accordance with the Committee's missions. Other members—rights holders or historians—provide support in a consultative or honorary capacity, depending on needs and ongoing projects.Géraldine Tailfer-Augustinus — Expert in French Painting (1850–1950) — Specialist in the work of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Founder of the independent appraisal firm Artemisia, Géraldine Tailfer-Augustinus is a leading figure in the study and authentication of French painting and drawing from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Her career, spanning galleries, auction houses, and appraisal firms in France and abroad, led her to collaborate for a decade with major artist committees, notably the Comité Eugène Delacroix. Today, she is the lead expert of the Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee, ensuring its scientific direction and methodological rigor. Her approach, based on thorough documentary research, stylistic analysis, and the traceability of works, guarantees well-founded and impartial opinions.Laetitia Emery-Le Quoy — President and Administrator of the Committee
An art historian, Laetitia Emery-Le Quoy trained within museums and art galleries. She collaborated closely with Bertrand Puvis de Chavannes within the Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee, notably for the exhibition Pierre Puvis de Chavannes in French Private Collections. For several years, she has dedicated herself to the promotion, preservation, and enrichment of private art collections, while supporting the development of philanthropic projects in the cultural field. She is also a lecturer at the École du Louvre.Bibliography
- "Estate of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes," L’Olifant, Musée Paul Dupuy, Toulouse, 2005 - "Solitaire Puvis de Chavannes. Jamais seul," contribution to the exhibition catalogue "Arcadia by the Shore / The Mythic World of Puvis de Chavannes," Shimane Art Museum and The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, 2014 - "Back to the Sources," catalogue for the exhibition "Watercolors and Washes by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes," Biennale de Cuiseaux – Pays des Peintres, September 2014. - "I am ... Pierre Puvis de Chavannes," Jacques André éditeur, 2016. - "Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Prophet of Modernity," text from the exhibition catalogue "Puvis de Chavannes," Michael Werner Galleries, London, New York, Cologne, MAN, Nuoro (Italy), 2018–2019. - "Puvis by Himself," "The Painter's Muses," "A Painting Rediscovered," "Identification of a Portrait," "Marie Cantacuzène," Bulletin of the Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee, 2010–2019
Contact
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Committee - Géraldine TAILFER
Paris (France)
comiteppc@gmail.com
[UFE number : 444]
