Le Filon

Charles Garabed Atamian (September 18, 1872-July 30, 1947) was an Ottoman-born French painter of Armenian ethnicity. He completed his early education at the Mkhitaryan Armenian School in Pera, Istanbul. He then attended the local French school, Lycee de Saint-Benoit. He continued his education at the Murad Rafaelian Armenian School in San Lazzaro Island in Venice. Between 1887 and 1893 he took lessons there from professors Antonio Ermolao Paoletti and Pietra. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, but returned to Istanbul without graduating. He worked at the Yildiz Porcelain Factory from 1894 to 1896 and was appointed the factory's chief designer. A number of porcelain plates bearing his signature "Atam" are now exhibited at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. He opened his first exhibition before the Armenian massacres. Because of the genocide, Atamian sought refuge in Paris in 1897. There, he illustrated close to 150 books. The artist found success creating artwork for commercial purposes including books and magazines. He worked for French newspapers and magazines such as L'Illustration and Le Monde Illustre. He also made artwork for theatrical productions. His first oil painting was exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1903. From 1903 onward, he participated in exhibitions with great success. His landscapes and portraits were shown at the annual exhibitions of the National Society of Artists in Paris. From 1923-1939, he summered in Saint-Gilles-sur Vie. Much of his work was developed at his summer residence and his paintings of the beach consolidated his reputation as an artist. Atamain's work was exhibited throughout Europe as well as in the United States and Japan. His last known work is a self-portrait from 1941. He died in his workshop in 1947.