Honoré BOZE
 (Mauritius, 1830 – Marseille, 1909)

 Tribe returning to the highlands (Algeria)
 Oil on panel
 Signed lower left
 14 x 25 cm

 Great nephew of the painter Joseph BOZE (1745-1826), Honoré BOZE was born on April 19, 1830 in Mauritius to a Provençal father and a Hindu mother.

 His father, Pierre BOZE, a ship captain and merchant in Mauritius, became a general councillor of Bouches-du-Rhône and Orleanist mayor of Martigues between 1837 and 1840 and then from 1847 to 1848. Following the political events of the time, Pierre BOZE was forced to leave Provence for a while and took his son to Paris. There, the budding artist discovered a real passion for painting and regularly attended public exhibitions. When the BOZEs were able to return to Provence, Honoré devoted himself fully to his passion by attending classes at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, where LOUBON was the director and also his teacher.

 BOZE, while making portraits, had the opportunity to make one of a charming widow whom he ended up marrying. The latter, owning several properties in Oran, thus gave him the opportunity to make regular trips to Algeria, a country which was for him a continual source of inspiration for his paintings.
 BOZE's orientalist art is clearly influenced by Eugène FROMENTIN, an artist who became his role model after the various discoveries he made of his work in public exhibitions.

 The artist exhibited regularly in Paris for 30 years from 1864 to 1894. He was also present in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice… The works he chose to exhibit were portraits whose quality was recognized by critics and of course a good number of orientalist paintings from the surroundings of Oran which made his reputation.

 Honoré BOZE died in Marseille on January 5, 1909, at the age of 70.

 Museums : Marseille, Paris (Mus. du quai Branly) …