Arsène Alexandre

Arsène Alexandre was an art collector, journalist, art critic, and inspector general of French museums. He worked for the newspapers L’Événement, L’Éclair as well as for the Journal des artistes. In 1894 he participated in the founding of the satirical newspaper Le Rire and became its artistic director. He then worked as an art critic for Le Figaro and was one of the first to use the term “Neo-Impressionism”.

Alexandre was close to many renowned artists and writers of his time. He traveled with his fellow painters to the funeral of Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) and wrote the preface for the catalog that was sold three months after the artist’s death to benefit his children. He also wrote numerous reviews for Le Théâtre and wrote art history articles and books.

During World War I, Alexandre was Inspector General of Museums, where he was responsible for relocating works of art from provincial museums and determining damage to cultural property. In 1900 he was made a Knight and in 1920 an Officer of the Legion of Honor.