Galerie Paul Prouté

Max Jacob was involved with all the avant-garde movements of the first half of the 20th century. A writer and poet, he interrupted his brilliant studies at the École coloniale de Paris after two years and set out to make a living from his writing. A storyteller, novelist, and poet, he also dabbled in art criticism, gradually developed a passion for painting, and, it seems, began exhibiting his work in 1919. Self-taught, he led a unique and eventful life, surrounded by friends such as Braque, Matisse, Apollinaire, and Picasso. Born into a non-practicing German Jewish family, he converted to Catholicism in 1915 after experiencing several visions of Christ. In 1921, he retired to Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, the former site of a Benedictine abbey and a place of pilgrimage; he remained there until 1928 before returning for a second retreat between 1936 and 1944.