Amélie Beaury-Saurel

Overview

Amélie Beaury-Saurel (1849 – 30 May 1924) was a French portrait painter, born in Barcelona. She studied at the Académie Julian under Lefebvre, Tony Robert-Fleury, and J.-P. Laurens, partly funding her studies by managing the school's administration. She made her Salon debut in 1874 and was considered one of the most important artists at the Salon of 1880. She was later awarded a Third Medal at the Salon (1885) and a bronze medal at the 1889 World's Fair. In 1895 she married Rodolphe Julian and after his death in 1907 became director of the Académie Julian, a position she held until her death. She received the Legion of Honour in 1923 for her contributions to French art education. Her portrait of the politician Léon Say was exhibited at the Salon of 1880 — the same exhibition where Marie showed her own painting.

Relevance to Marie

Marie and Amélie were contemporaries at the Académie Julian and rivals at the Salon. In the diary Amélie is referred to simply as "Amélie." Marie noted at the Salon of 1880 that Amélie's portrait of Léon Say was "pas mal du tout, très crâne, de l'aspect, très frais" (not bad at all, very bold, with presence, very fresh) but suspected that the hands may have been aided by Robert-Fleury senior. On 31 May 1880, reflecting on Salon prizes: "Amélie aura une médaille elle, Léon Say a le bras long." (Amélie will have a medal; Léon Say has a long arm.) This hints at patronage: Say was a powerful politician who could influence Salon juries.

References in Diary

• 1880-04-30: Marie sees Amélie's portrait of Léon Say at the Salon; mixed admiration and scepticism.
• 1880-05-31: Speculation that Amélie will receive a Salon medal through Léon Say's influence.

Sources

Wikipedia: Amélie Beaury-Saurel; AWARE Women Artists: Amélie Beaury-Saurel