Émilie Desjeux

Life

Emilie Desjeux was born in France, in the city of Joigny on 9 October 1861. When Emilie was little, she moved with her family to Paris, where she started to draw in earnest. Then Emilie Desjeux was admitted to the "Académie Julian", where she became a student of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, who greatly appreciated her artistic abilities and named Emilie his best student.

After graduation from "Académie Julian", Desjeux was able to feature her paintings at the «Society of the French artists»'s exhibitions and salons. In 1900 she had participated in the"Exposition Universelle (1900)" of Paris. She was decorated with the rank of Officier d'Academie. At the turn of the century Emilie Desjeux took part in the organization «Society of women-artists» and opened in Paris a painting school annex studio for girls in the Rue du Bac, and later moved to Rue Visconti.

Emilie Desjeux traveled across Europe, visiting England, Italy, the Netherlands — and recorded her visits in various albums with sketches and her traveling records. Desjeux was an adherent of realist (or academic) painting. Other directions in the arts failed to influence her.

In 1906 Emilie Desjeux received an commission from the city council of Auxerre: to depict an historical event, the oration of Émile Combes on the division between church and state. For that time, it was unprecedented that this task was assigned to a woman. In 1908 the picture «Speech of Émile Combes» (125 x 256 cm), was unveiled in the city museum of Auxerre. It now decorates the city of Auxerre's administration boardroom.

At present works of Emilie Desjeux are stored at the city of Auxerre's museum depot, are exhibited at the Musée-Abbaye Saint-Germain and can be found in private collections.

The life of Emilie Desjeux came to an end on 23 April 1957. She rests at the cemetery of Bussy-en-Othe, Burgundy.