Brame, Hector

Biography

This Parisian gallery was established in the 1860s on the rue Laffitte by Hector-Henri-Clément Brame (1831-1899). Born in Lille, in the 1850s Brame moved to Paris, where he was associated with the Théâtre de l'Odeon under the pseudonym "Delille." His acting career ceased soon after 1864, however, when he began his art dealing activities. During his early years in the art trade, Brame frequently participated in joint ventures with the dealer Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922), shortly to become known as a proponent of the Impressionists. Brame himself preferred to deal in the more marketable Salon and Barbizon artists. During the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Paris, Brame relocated to Brussels and maintained his relationship with Durand-Ruel, then in London, but their joint endeavors ceased after their return to Paris. Hector Brame is generally assumed to have been the source for the character of Naudet in Emile Zola's L'Oeuvre, published in 1886. The relationship depicted in the novel between Naudet and the painter Fagerolles has obvious parallels in Brame's real life relationship with the artist Ferdinand Roybet (1840-1920). Roybet, best known for costume scenes of cavaliers, was immensely popular in the 1870s and 1880s yet was sued for bankruptcy by his creditors, including Brame, in 1884. Hector Brame was succeeded in his business affairs by his son Hector-Gustave (1866-1936) and his grandson Paul-Louis (1898-1971). The gallery continues today as Brame & Lorenceau.

Bibliography

1998

Yeide, Nancy. "Hector Brame: An art dealer in nineteenth-century Paris." Apollo (March 1998):40-47

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