Exotic bird by Camille ROCHE

ROCHE Camille (1894-1948)
Exotic Bird
Graphite pencil and charcoal drawing entirely enhanced with gilding and silvering on gray paper
26 x 38 cm
Unframed
Provenance: former Camille Roche collection, now in the family.

Provenance: former Camille Roche collection, now in the family.
Born in Paris, Camille ROCHE (1894-1948) was the son of Odilon Roche, an artist and art dealer. From an early age, he showed great talent for painting and drawing. In 1905, aged just 11, he exhibited two works at the Salon d'Automne. In 1912, he travelled to Italy to La Mortola, then to Tunisia with Léon Detroy, from where he brought back many drawings. By 1913, he had received his first decor commissions, notably for Colette's apartment, followed by Coco Chanel's in 1917.

Mobilized in 1914, he was seriously wounded in action and demobilized in 1916. After the war, he began a collaboration with the Manufacture de Sèvres that lasted many years, notably during the two International Expositions of 1925 and 1937, for which he created "Le Paradis terrestre" and the "Boudoir de Serge et Camille ROCHE".

In 1920, he became a laureate of the first class of the "American Foundation for French Thought and Art", also known as the "Florence Blumenthal Foundation".

Then, in the 1930s, he collaborated with his brother Serge Roche, one of the greatest decorators of the period, for whom he created most of the decor for his private mansion on rue Las Cases, and took part in decorating most of the commissions Serge Roche received at the time. Among other things, he created sumptuous gold and silver screens. In 1938, he created a grand décor for the villa of Lord and Lady Cholmondeley, Chamberlain to the Queen of England, in Juan- les-Pins.

He is also renowned for his drawings of nudes, landscapes and animals. During his lifetime, he had several solo exhibitions, at the Galerie Devambez in 1924 and the Galerie Vincent in 1930. During his career, Camille ROCHE also regularly participated in the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Salon de la Société des Artistes Animaliers.

Ref: NOR6UQN6D2