Biography
Roger Marcel Limouse (b. Collo, Algeria 18 October 1894 - d. Paris, France 31 December 1989) lived in Tunis, Tunisia as a child and discovered drawing and painting from local artists Alexandre Fichet (1881–1967) and Georges Le Mare (1866-1942). He went to Paris in 1919 and studied for 3 years under Paul Albert Laurens (1870-1934) at the Académie Julian. He became friends with several older painters, such as Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac (1884-1974), Amédée de La Patellière (1890-1932) and Jean Souverbie (1891-1981), but also with painters of his age such as Roger Nivelt (1899-1962), Emile Sabouraud(1900-1996), Jules Cavaillès (1901-1977), Maurice Mazo (1901-1989), even younger, such as Jean Bezaine (1904-2001) and Edouard Geoerges Mac-Avoy(1905- 1991). In 1922, he took up a studio at Place de la Sorbonne. He was elected a member of the Salon d' Automne in 1933, in which he participated regularly, such as the Salon de Independants and at the Salon des Tuileries. In 1937 he married the painter Jeanne Laillard (1897 -1982). Between 1948-64, Limouse was professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Roger Limouse divided his time between Paris and Menton, with frequent visits to Morroco, Italy and Spain, and also Madagascar, finding the southern light and vibrant colour a great source of inspiration.
In 1948 he was made a professor at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, a post he held until 1964. In 1949 a book was published 'Avec les Peintres de la Réalite Poétique' by Giselle d'Assailly, covering the work of eight artists, who all shared a figurative style, with the use of strong colour, and influenced by Fauvism. Roger Limouse was the eldest member and the last survivor of the group. The have been many retrospective exhibitions of the group, the most recent being held in St Cloud (Paris) at the Musée de l'Abbaye in 2012. Roger Limouse illustrated many books by various authors, including Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire, a work which he found to be a life-long inspiration. In 1987 an exhibition of his illustrations for the book was held in Chester, England, which was officially opened by the Duke of Westminster in the presence of the artist.
