Timeline

Louis Abel-Truchet was an important French painter, etcher and lithographer in his lifetime. He was born in 1857 in Versailles. He is predominantly known for his paintings depicting Paris at the turn of the century, with cafés, theatres, shops, everyday life and fashionable Parisians forming an essential part of the subject matter.

Abel-Truchet studied under Julian Lefebvre and Benjamin Constant. He exhibited from 1891 in various salons. He was a founding member of the Salon d'Automne and the Societe des Humoristes. He also exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français and the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, becoming a member in 1910.

Though influenced by impressionism, Abel-Truchet is also satirical at times and his work focused on the Belle Epoque, linking him with artists such as Galien-Laloue, Forain and Steinlen.

In 1914, aged fifty seven, he volunteered to fight in the World War One. He was to produce a series of lithographs depicting scenes from his experiences. He commanded a section of fighting troops during the war and was awarded the Legion of Honour and La Croix de Guerre. Abel-Truchet died in service in the last few months of the war.