Alfred Stevens: Marriage and Success

"Tous les Bonheurs" by Alfred Stevens

"Feeling confident of his art and his future, Alfred Stevens married Marie Blanc, granddaughter of General Sausset. Just as Alfred had been one of four children, so he and Marie would have four: Catherine, god-daughter of Degas, Leopold, a painter, Jean and Pierre. Just as Marie had already appeared as a model and would continue to do in some of the major works of the 1860's, for example 'La Dame en Rose,' so the children would begin to appear in their turn. At the 1861 Paris Salon, 'Tous les Bonheurs' shows Marie feeding young Leopold. 

'Tous les Bonheurs' was so well received by the critics, that the Jury wanted to award Stevens a medal of honour, but were hesitant. Robert-Fleury went to see Stevens unofficially and told him that his subject matter was not worthy of his talents, and that if he would change his genre they would award him with the medal. The reply was brief and to the point: 'You keep your medal and I'll keep my genre.' 

However, 1863 saw the end of officialdom's hesitation. Stevens became Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. What must have pleased the artist above all were the words of the minister at the presentation - 'To gain an honour with the complete approval of your colleagues is to deserve it twice over.'  The success of Stevens here and also at the Brussels Salon of 1866, where his 'La Visite' was purchased by King Leopold, was also a matter of pride for his home country of Belgium. 

There was no greater recommendation that that of royal patronage. The aristocracy and the haute bourgeoisie followed their monarch's example and added his work to their collections. Stevens received a letter from his brother Arthur, who was the king's curator, telling him of the monarch's strong admiration for him and his 'wish' that Alfred was to remain Belgian. [He had now lived and worked for quite a while in France, and his attachments there were strong.]"

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Alfred Stevens" by Peter Mitchell.)