Maison Victor Hugo: François Chifflart l'insoumis exhibition


We meet Gérard Audinet, director of the Victor Hugo Houses in Paris. The Maisons Victor Hugo are currently hosting the exhibition "François Chifflart. L'insoumis". Who was François Chifflart? Painter, engraver, draughtsman. Why the insoumis? What did he express through his art?

François Chifflart is a strange painter. Very talented very promising he obtained the Grand prix de Rome in 1851 which is the royal road for a brilliant career. But for psychological and political reasons, Chifflart revealed an intractable personality, shared between is academic learning and his romantic temperament. He was in opposition with his time and failed his career, remaining independent. Seeing his works in 1863, Charles Baudelaire said: “it’s a miracle! a prix de Rome who has a personality” !

The exhibition "François Chifflart. L'insoumis à la Maison de Victor Hugo" will end next March. What can an art lover discover in Chifflart's works? What is the beauty and what is the characteristic that the artist most wanted to include in his creations?


Chifflart had a dream! He passionately wanted to translate history in painting. We can dare to say that hi renewed history painting with his late romantic sensibility. We can find in his paintings the lyrical and epical breath of Victor Hugo poetry in “La Légende des siècle” for instance. It is wonderful to see this passionate temperament with such a technical skill and ability due to his academic learning. He has such a wide technique that he can paint and draw everything: portraits, landscapes, imaginary scenes and always with his passion and “furia”. He is skilful in different technique, not only a wonderful painter, but one the very best etcher of his time, he also produced masterpieces of large charcoals.  It is really a pleasure for us to hear that visitors are enthusiast in discovering such a painting… under a name they did knew!

Chifflart met Victor Hugo and illustrated some of his works such as Les Travailleurs de la Mer and Notre-Dame de Paris. How was this association?

Chifflart was requested to make the first illustration for Les Travailleurs de la mer. He travelled to Guernsey to meet Hugo. The two men appreciated themselves and their work. Of course, it is an asymmetric relationship.  For Chifflart, Hugo is a hero; to approach him is the great event in Chifflart’s life. Hugo fully respect the creative freedom and of course he did not interfere in Chifflart work. He appreciate the illustration for Les Travailleurs de la mer. He certainly helped for giving new illustrations to the painter.

Let's talk about the literary museum that you direct. What are the permanent collections that most characterize the museum?

Permanent collections are organized on a very specific way. The second floor, where Victor Hugo and his family lived, is organized as an apartment, which is not a reconstitution of the original one, but a kind of biography of the writer, illustrated by paintings and sculptures related to his family life and his writings. It is completed by furniture coming from different homes ; the most spectacular sets are the decorations created for his beloved  Juliette Drouet and the bedroom in which he died.

But we also conserved a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, photographs, manuscripts which the main treasure is the 700 drawings by Victor hugo himself.

After "François Chifflart. L'insoumis"?

In November 2025, our next exhibition will be dedicated to “Victor Hugo décorateur” (“Victor hugo designer”). It will be a major project which will be on display on the two floors of the museum. In this occasion will be published an important monography book on this aspect of Hugo’s creativity. 

Look at the Gallery: Maison Victor Hugo: François Chifflart l'insoumis exhibition
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