Nantes - Rue Fourchon - Quai de la Fosse

Original drawing in colored pencils and pastels depicting a view of Nantes.
Edmond Heuzé, pseudonym of Amédée Letrouvé (1884-1967), was a French draughtsman, painter, engraver and writer. For some thirty years, Edmond Heuzé would make his living from seventeen different odd jobs: Nénesse got him into the Moulin Rouge troupe with La Goulue as a dancer under the pseudonym "Williams," which allowed him to travel around the world. He also became a merchant, intermediary, street vendor, traveling circus manager, tap dancer at Maxim's, etc. It was in this last profession that he had the opportunity to paint the circus world in his leisure time. He married Nina Bacquet, the director of the Médrano circus. Declared unfit for service in 1904, he enlisted as a volunteer in 1914. Before the outbreak of the First World War, he was curator of the enamel collection of Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia. After six unsuccessful attempts, he was incorporated as a guard in the clothing store of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, like André Utter, and drew inspiration from this for a series of paintings entitled Les Masques. In 1918, after various jobs, he became director of the Sagot Gallery, rue Laffitte, where he sold canvases by his friends Maurice Utrillo, Suzanne Valadon, Rouault, as well as his own. The twelve paintings in the Les Masques series were sold during the first two days. At this time Edmond Heuzé was witness at the wedding of André Utter and Suzanne Valladon. He maintained close ties with Maurice Utrillo, Jules Depaquit and Tiret-Bognet. Thanks to the generosity of Georges Chéron, art dealer, he was able to start painting again. From 1920, he exhibited at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery as well as at the Chiron gallery in 1923, and could now live from his art which he then devoted to portraits, particularly in circus circles. In 1938, he won the Paul-Guillaume prize for the portrait of the mime Farina.