André Mare

Charles André Mare (1885–1932), or André-Charles Mare, was a French painter and textile designer, and co-founder of the Company of French Art (la Compagnie des Arts Français) in 1919. He was a designer of colorful textiles, and was one of the founders of the Art Deco movement. As a soldier in the French Army in World War I, Mare led the development of military camouflage, painting artillery using Cubism techniques to deceive the eye. His ink and watercolour painting Le canon de 280 camouflé (The Camouflaged 280 Gun) shows the close interplay of abstract art and military application at that time. He authored the book Cubisme et Camouflage, 1914–1918. Mare sketched and painted scenes based on his experiences in World War I. His works include: American Troops Marching Through the Arch of Triumph, 1930, and The Funeral of Marshal Foch, 1931. After the war Mare combined his talents with the skills of architect Louis Sue and became a leader in the Art Deco movement. He designed pavilions, textiles and furnishings for the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925. and interiors of residences and the French ocean liners. A common feature of his work was the stylized rose, in garlands or bouquets. Mare was born in Argentan, in Normandy. His childhood friends included the painter Fernand Léger. The young Mare had a passion for drawing, and decided to go to Paris to study art and design. In 1904, he enrolled at the School of Decorative Arts, and also took courses at the Académie Julian. In 1906, he showed his paintings and designs at the Salon des indépendants. In the following years, he participated in the Salon d'Automne, where he showed works along with those of his friends Roger de La Fresnaye, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Maurice Marinot and Marcel Duchamp. His designs in 1911 included very elaborate and stylized floral patterns for textiles, breaking away from traditional and Art Nouveau models. Guillaume Apollinaire commented on his skill in designing furniture.