RAMIRO (Erastene). &
[RODRIGUES (Eugene) pseud.]
Louis Legrand, peintre-graveur: Catalogue de son oeuvre gravé et lithographié.
WITH A RARE PIECE OF EPHEMERA
Louis-Auguste-Mathieu Legrand (1863-1951) was born in Dijon, where he studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He moved to Paris in 1884 and met fin-de-siècle master printmaker Felicien Rops who mentored him in the art of etching and lithography. A flavour of Rops’ eroticism is present in Legrand’s work, though his more darkly macabre themes are less pronounced. Like Rops, he often depicted prostitutes and scenes of Parisian nightlife, and at the turn of the century he even established his studio at the Moulin Rouge. Two of his satirical works “Prostitution” and “Naturalism” landed him in an obscenity trial, and Rops connected Legrand with a likeminded lawyer friend, Eugene Rodrigues, to defended him. Rodrigues was also a writer, bibliophile and bibliographer, publishing under the nom-de-plume “Erastene Ramiro”, and it seems their new friendship was more effective than his defence, as following a short prison sentence, the two men began collaborating on creative projects. The self-portrait frontispiece of this work is inscribed in the stone “a Eug. Rodrigues, mon meilleur ami.” Prior to this fine catalogue showcasing Legrand’s body of work, Rodrigues had produced similar publications with Felicien Rops, in both cases reproducing the artists engravings to the finest print standards. Legrand’s technical expertise was recognised by the academy, and he was awarded the Légion d’honneur in 1906.
Loosely inserted into this volume is a rare separately issued piece of ephemera. The engraved print of a young ballerina and two policemen forms the headpiece of an invitation to Legrand’s first solo exhibition at Siegfried Bing’s famous Maison de l’Art Nouveau gallery, 22 rue de Provence, from the 2nd to the 15th of April 1896. A version of this invitation is held at the Hope Gallery in Salt Lake City, though the text is slightly different.