The Prince and the painter. Albert I and Louis Tinayre, a friendship discovering the world

Tinayre’s work remains little known, so there is interest in exhibiting it in its entirety, with an understandable focus on the drawings and paintings produced for Prince Albert I. The artist was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1861 and died in Grosrouvre in 1942. His family was from Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme) and he grew up in an environment surrounded by artists: his mother Victoire, his brother Julien and his sister-in-law Marcelle.

Louis’ mother, Victoire Tinayre, a teacher, campaigner, inspector of girls’ schools, and author of biographies and textbooks aimed at children, was an important figure in women’s history. She went into exile in Eastern Europe, notably Budapest, following her involvement in the Paris Commune (1870–71). His brother, Julien (1859–1923) was a wood engraver and illustrator, and his sister-in-law Marcelle (1870–1948) was a successful novelist.

Louis Tinayre, a graduate of the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts, returned to Paris in 1880. He developed a remarkable talent for documentary paintings and drawings, particularly of animals, and became a newspaper illustrator for the magazine Le Monde illustré, covering the Second Madagascar Expedition in 1895, which led to France’s annexation of the island in 1897. His drawings, dioramas and panoramas were shown at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900. During his visit, Prince Albert I enjoyed the artist’s depiction of faraway places and asked him to accompany him on his scientific and hunting expeditions. Tinayre joined the Prince’s team, replacing Marius Borrel, in 1904. He worked with a variety of media, including watercolour on paper, photography and monumental decoration for the museums and oceanographic institutes that the Prince opened in Monaco and Paris.

The exhibition will bring together works, paintings and drawings donated by Issoire, Carnavalet Museum (Paris), the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the Prince’s Palace, as well as sketches, photographs, coloured notes and several works from private collections. It will also provide an opportunity to showcase the correspondence between Louis Tinayre and Prince Albert I. 

Only three exhibitions have been devoted to Louis Tinayre, the first at the Musée du Ranquet (now the Hotel Fontfreyde Photographic Centre) in Clermont-Ferrand in 2006, the second in Issoire in 2010 and the third in Paris, at the Museum of Hunting and Nature, from 30 March to 24 July 2016: A Prince Hunting. Albert I of Monaco (1848–1922) – Louis Tinayre.