Auguste-Francois GORGUET

Auguste‑François‑Marie Gorguet (1862-1927) was a French painter, illustrator, and print designer who operated at the intersection of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. Educated at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under masters such as Boulanger and Gérôme, he exhibited at the Salon from 1885 onward. He illustrated celebrated works—from Sapho to Le Lys rouge—in magazines, books, and posters. However, his penciled portraits and figure studies—like Étude, Trois Têtes d’Africaine—are less typical but revealing. These delicate drawings reveal a more spontaneous and intimate side of Gorguet’s vision: sensitively shaded and observational, possibly preparatory studies or genre portraits, diverging from the decorative polish of his posters and book illustrations.