Émile Munier (1840-1895, French) painted primarily children and pets in an ‘academic’ style, a synthesis of Romanticism and Neoclassicism. Born in Paris to working class parents, it was soon apparent that Emile as well as his two brothers had artistic talent. After attending various art classes, Munier followed in the footsteps of William Adolphe Bourguerau and both became good friends. In 1871, Munier began to devote all his time to painting after having successfully exhibited at the Paris Salon in the 1860’s as well as having received three medals at the Beaux Arts in 1869.
Munier’s sentimental genre scenes of children, which featured his own children as models, and pets were highly prized by American art collectors. His 1885 painting, Trois Amis (Three Friends) was exhibited at the Paris Salon and was met with raving reviews. The painting went on to be distributed in posters and used in Pears Soap ads. The Victorian ideal of cleanliness was equated with the cat, and children were expected to follow the example of their cute pet kittens.
In 1895, he completed La jeune fille et le panier de chatons. Shortly thereafter he celebrated his 55th birthday, and died a few weeks later from a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried at the Montparnasse cemetery.
Find canvas cat art prints and posters at The Great Cat Store.
Her Best Friend
1882
Detail, Her Best Friend
Petite Fille et Chat
Little girl and cat
Detail, 1882
Trois Amis
Three Friends
1885
Feeding New Friends
1882
Best Friends
Girl with a Kitten
Girl Playing with a Kitten
Three Children with Kittens
Deux filles avec un panier de chatons
Two girls with a basket of kittens
Playing with the Kitten
Girl with Kitten and Puppy
Want to know more about the cat in art, history and literature? Then Revered and Reviled is the book for you. Now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats.
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