ROCHE Camille (1894-1948)
Feline
Sanguine on paper, signed lower right and initials lower left (folded)
18x35 cm
Not framed
Provenance: former Camille Roche collection, which has remained in the family ever since.
Born in Paris, Camille ROCHE (1894-1948) was the son of Odilon Roche, an artist and art dealer. From his childhood, he demonstrated a great talent for painting and drawing. In 1905, aged only 11, he exhibited two works at the Salon d'Automne. In 1912, he traveled to Italy to La Mortola and then to Tunisia with Léon Detroy, from where he brought back numerous drawings. In 1913, he received his first interior design commissions, notably for Colette's apartment and then for Coco Chanel's in 1917.
Mobilized in 1914, he was seriously wounded in combat and demobilized in 1916. After the war, he began a collaboration with the Manufacture de Sèvres which lasted for many years, notably during the two International Exhibitions of 1925 and 1937, for which he created “Le Paradis terrestre” and the “Boudoir de Serge et Camille ROCHE”.
In 1920, he became a laureate of the first class of the "American Foundation for French Thought and Art," also known as the "Florence Blumenthal Foundation."
Then in the 30s, he collaborated with his brother Serge Roche, one of the greatest decorators of the time, for whom he created most of the decor for his private mansion on rue Las Cases and participated in the decoration of most of the commissions that Serge Roche received at the time. For this purpose, he created, among other things, sumptuous screens with gold and silver backgrounds. In 1938, he executed a large decoration for the villa of Lord and Lady Cholmondeley, chamberlain to the Queen of England in Juan-les-Pins.
He is also renowned for his drawings of nudes, landscapes, and animals. During his lifetime, several solo exhibitions were dedicated to him, at the Galerie Devambez in 1924 and at the Galerie Vincent in 1930. Throughout his career, Camille Roche also regularly participated in the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and the Salon de la Société des Artistes Animaliers.
