Arthur Midy

Biography

His father was Alfred Hippolyte Midy who was a joiner. His mother was Adélaïde Marie Douay and he had two brothers and three sisters. At a young age he joined the École Quentin de La Tour. In 1889 he was awarded a silver medal by Saint-Quentin in recognition of exceptional progress as a young student and in 1890 he was awarded a bursary of 240 francs enabling him to attend the Henri Martin School. Further success saw him awarded a bursary of 800 francs by Saint-Quentin and he was able to enroll at the Paris École des beaux-arts in 1893 and then in 1900 at the Académie Julian. In 1906 he married Marie-Berthe Benoit in Paris.It was in 1905 that he discovered Brittany and he made frequent visits to Faouët in 1907 to 1909 before deciding to take up residence there. He invited Gabriel Girodon, another Saint Quentin artist to join him. In 1907 he exhibited three paintings at an exhibition held at the "palais de Fervaques" and he exhibited there again in 1911. In 1909 the French State purchased his painting. "Le vieux buveur" from the Salon of the "Artistes français" and from 1912 onwards he exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and in that year he had work hung at the Saint Quentin "Desprey-Pollet" gallery. In 1921, the war over, he was employed in restoring and organizing the repatriation of works of art taken by the Germans. On 25 November 1938 after his divorce, Midy married a German called Emilie Maïer but this and his fraternization with the German occupying forces made him a target for the French Resistance who assassinated him on 8 March 1944. On the 10 and 11 October 1950 the contents of his studio were dispersed.

Works

Some of Midy's paintings were:-

• "Le Vieux Buveur". This painting is held in the Musée des beaux-arts in Quimper.
• '"La Fontaine Sainte-Barbe au Faouët". This painting is held in the Musée du Faouët.
• "Effet du soleil, un jour de foire".
• "Vieux Breton place des halles Le Faouët"
• "Réparation du toit de la chapelle Saint-Fiacre"
• '"Femmes au marché du Faouët"
• "Blanche, chienne de Louis XV". This painting is held in France's embassy in Istanbul.
• "Le Jour des pauvres"