Elisabeth Chaplin Biography
Elisabeth Chaplin was an artist born in Fontainbleau, France, in 1890. Being the granddaughter of the painter Charles Chaplin and daughter of the sculptor and poet Marguerite Bavier-Chaufour, she grew up in Italy from childhood and was educated by several teachers of the period, also frequenting the studio of Francesco Gioli and Fattori in Florence. He soon demonstrated his artistic vocation, creating some works between 1906 and 1907 that express a post-impressionist inspiration, in particular, of authors such as Renoir and Mary Cassat. In 1910, she began to exhibit her works and obtained the gold medal from the Florentine Society of Fine Arts with the "Family Portrait". His paintings were exhibited in various Italian and international art exhibitions and salons. During the 1920s, his style evolved towards more synthetic forms and constructions with large planes of colour, in line with the research of Bonnard and Vallotton, but also close to the nabis, in particular Maurice Denis. He continued to exhibit his work at the Venice Biennale and the Paris Salon, where he received positive acclaim. He lived in Rome with his family from 1916 to 1922 and met personalities such as Albert Besnard, director of Villa Medici, and André Gide.
In the 1930s, Chaplin moved to Paris and worked decorating Parisian churches. He was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition Internationale in Paris in 1937 and the Legion d'Honneur in 1938. Over the years, he adhered to the rules of decorative art, creating large-scale works with magnified surfaces and massive flowers. However, he also continued to paint everyday and family life.
After the Second World War, she settled permanently in San Domenico a Fiesole and exhibited her works in several personal exhibitions in Florence, including that at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in 1956, at the French Institute in 1965 and at the gallery Michelucci in 1972. His last major retrospective was held at Palazzo Vecchio in 1993. His work is held in several Italian and international galleries, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and the Gallery of Modern Art in Florence .
