Camille BOMBOIS ~ Naive ✿

Camille Bombois (1883-1970) was a French naïve painter, born in Venarey-les-Laumes in the Côte-d'Or. His childhood was spent living on a barge and attending a local school until the age of twelve, when he became a farm worker.

During his free time he drew and competed in wrestling competitions at local fairs. He became a champion local wrestler before joining a traveling circus as a strongman and wrestler.

In 1922 he had the opportunity to exhibit his works in Montmartre, where finally some enthusiastic observer of his paintings reported him to the German art critic Wihelm Uhde, already known for having discovered and launched Henri Rousseau and Séraphine, who admired by his products , defined him as an emerging artist, almost a revelation, among the so-called "naive painters".

Thanks to the commercial success he enjoyed, from this moment on he was able to carry out the full-time activity of painter. In 1937 he participated in an important exhibition entitled "Maîtres populaires de la réalité," in Paris. He had his first solo exhibition in 1944 at the Galerie Pétridès. In 1964 he his exhibited at Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris for the exhibition Naïve’s World, then at Museum of Modern Art in New-York.