Antonio de La Gandara : the gentleman painter of the Belle Epoque

Résumé du livre

Antonio de La Gandara

The gentleman painter of the Belle Epoque

Born into a Spanish family established in Mexico, cousin of Doha Maria Francesca, vice-queen of New Spain, Cristino de La Gandara and Louisa Mayer, an Englishwoman whom he meets in Paris, in 1859, produce three sons out of wedlock : Antonio, Edouard and Manuel.

Edouard offers us a vibrant testimony of the life and of the intrigues of the Belle Epoque. He recounts the joys and the sorrows of members of his family who are friends of Paul Verlaine, James MacNeill Whistler, Auguste Rodin, Ida Rubinstein, Robert de Montesquiou and Vaslav Nijinsky.

He speaks about the love that unites Antonio to Anne-Catherine of whom Edmond de Goncourt and Henri de Régnier praise the beauty. He refutes the sometimes terrifying rumours circulating about his family, and explains the reasons why the fame of a great master of painting, Antonio de La Gandara, is put in danger He tells about his journeys with Sarah Bernhardt in London, in Canada and in the United States, and about Antonio's exhibitions in New York. He shares his concerns about Manuel who is involved in one of the secret societies meeting in Paris. He reveals his love for Paul, the history of his nieces Raymonde and Tonia, and the cruel fate of Florise.

The protagonists of this drama rest, today, at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

This book is a must for those who love Paris or who intend to visit this wonderful city.