Louis Favre in The Hague 1947-1954

Louis Favre's story begins in the bustling Paris of the 1920s, where he worked among famous contemporaries such as Matisse and Picasso and early on attracted the attention of art collector Gertrude Stein, who exported his work to the United States. Despite his self-taught background - Favre taught himself to paint - he managed to develop an entirely unique visual language, characterised by vivid portraits, interiors and still lifes full of exuberant colours. Although he started as a painter, around 1940 Favre switched to lithography, a medium in which he excelled. His graphic work, especially his lithographs in up to 13 colours, found eager audience across Europe. In Berlin, his editions sold out in no time.

The Hague as artistic home port
In 1947, The Hague attracted Favre with an offer to work at the renowned publisher Mouton & Co. Here he produced commissioned lithographs and found a new artistic home. From his home at 103 Van Hogendorpstraat, he worked on sophisticated lithographs that further enhanced his international reputation. However, Favre's Hague period was overshadowed by personal misfortune: two major fires destroyed a considerable part of his oeuvre. Nevertheless, he remained productive and internationally active. In 1954, shortly before his death, he still successfully represented France at the prestigious Venice Biennale.

After his death in 1956, despite his international recognition and connections with artists like Jacques Lipchitz, Louis Favre gradually fell into oblivion. In a time without social media and modern marketing techniques, his name disappeared from the collective art memory. This exhibition brings Louis Favre back to The Hague - the city where he spent a significant part of his last years of life. His work, characterised by a fascinating wealth of colour and expressive power, is now finally getting the attention it deserves, on the same Hague soil where it was created more than 70 years ago. Discover the work of this extraordinary artist whose colourful vision occupies a unique place in post-war art history and who, despite his international career, had a special bond with our Hofstad.