Bénézit, Emmanuel

Date born: 1854

Place born: Jersey, United Kingdom

Date died: 1920

Place died: Paris, France

Art dealer who authored an important biographical dictionary of artists Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. Following on the inspiration of Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler. In 1898, Felix Becker launched an initiative to write a comprehensive dictionary of artists, architects and decorators, the first volume of which appeared in 1907. Bénézit began a similar work in the French language shortly thereafter. The first volume of his Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs appeared in 1911. The work was assumed by Edmond-Henri Zeiger-Viallet (1895-1994). The final volume of the work, 1923, contained dictionary of monograms, Dictionnaire des monogrammes by Marcelle Bénézit. The work grew after his death to become one of the standard biographical references for artists' biography.

Bénézit's focus was on the connoisseur/dealer researcher. Unlike Thieme-Becker, his work contained examples of artist's signatures and ultimately monograms to help establish authenticity.

Home Country: France.

Sources: Bazin, Germain. Histoire de l'histoire de l'art; de Vasari à nos jours. Paris: Albin Michel, 1986 p. 378

Bibliography: Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays. 3 vols. Paris: R. Roger et F. Chernoviz 1911-1923.

Subject's name: Emmanuel Bénézit; Emmanuel Benezit