Alon Zakaim Fine Art

Alphonse Léon Quizet was born in Paris on March 13th, 1885. He started out in 1900 as an apprentice draftsman in an architect's office. He drew buildings but his passion for painting them was stronger. He was a marvelous painter of Parisian streets, especially those streets where he lived or passed frequently. Quizet became an important member of the School of Montmartre, which refers to the group of painters dwelling in the area of Montmartre, France, in the early twentieth century. The description connotes the camaraderie of this bohemian area of pre-war Paris and the spirit of friendship and artistic communion shared amongst these friends, made-up primarily of Jewish immigrants, who gave a multiplicity of styles to the Modernist movement. For a time at the end of the 19th century, until the notoriety of Cubism was thrust upon it, Montmartre was a privileged, almost rural retreat for a few artists who lived there in calm seclusion.

It was in Montmartre in 1903 that he met Maurice Utrillo and became his guide, teacher, and councilor. Utrillo enjoyed Quizet's style so much that he started to paint the same subjects, using the same colours and techniques. Their work is very similar, and at first glance Quizet's paintings are often mistaken to be works by Utrillo. The two artists painted side by side, stowing away their painting material in the same hut. Quizet's sincere and delicately poetic style also influenced other artists in the area including Marcel Leprin, another Montmartre painter and to Louis Valtat, the famous Fauve painter.

He regularly exhibited his work in the Salons of the National of Fine Arts, in the Salons of the Independent Painters, and in the Salon d'Automne. He became chairman at the School of Fine Arts in Paris and in 1931 was awarded the medal of Chevalier de la Legion d' Honneur. In 1943 he painted five large decorative panels for the wedding room of the town hall of Pre Saint Gervais.

Alphonse Léon Quizet died in April 1955.