SELECTION BY TOPIC : THE VOLLARD DONATION
The Vollard donation
As an art dealer and editor, there is no doubt that Ambroise Vollard had a decisive influence on art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his long career, spanning five decades, the works of about 200 artists passed through his hands.
The art dealer died accidentally in 1939. In 1947, Lucien Vollard, his younger brother, decided to donate some of his works of art to the Leon Dierx art gallery.
Ambroise Vollard, publisher of etchings
Over half of the 157 works donated by Lucien Vollard are etchings. This proportion demonstrates Vollard’s passion for publishing original etchings.
Very early on, his expert eye, trained through spending many hours browsing the stalls of the merchants along the banks of the Seine, led him to build up a collection of drawings and etchings by innovative late 19thcentury artists.
Ambroise Vollard, publisher of art books
Ambroise Vollard had a true passion for books and decided to become a publisher.
In addition to renewing the art of etching, he also wished to reawaken in people a love of books, by asking artists who were not professional illustrators to produce illustrations for various works: the «artist’s book» was born.
