A Versatile Hand in the Belle Époque
Eugène Martial Simas was a French painter, theater decorator, interior architect, cartonnier, and illustrator. Born in Paris, France, he was the son of Louis Émile Simas, a hat manufacturer, and Catherine Adolphe Victorine Gibus. His artistic journey began as a student of the decorator Jean-Baptiste Lavastre until 1891. Throughout his career, which spanned from 1893 to the early 1930s, Simas demonstrated a remarkable breadth of skill, working across various mediums and decorative applications.
His professional reach extended into the public and private spheres of French life. He was recognized as a designer of glazed earthenware decorations, contributing to the works of the Manufacture de Sarreguemines and creating designs for the cities of Lyon, Nantes, Tours, and Créteil. His decorative expertise also led him to design mosaics and ceramics for the Brasserie Mollard in Paris and to create vase projects for the Manufacture de Sèvres, notably for the 1900 Exposition universelle.
From Grand Theaters to Illustrative Works
Simas’s talent for scenography saw him designing sets for the Paris Opera, including works such as La Damnation de Faust, Roma, Fervaal, and Parsifal. He also contributed to the decoration of the Esclarmonde opera in 1923. Beyond the stage, he was an active illustrator, contributing to Le Figaro illustré and providing illustrations for the 1929 publication Le Sortilège, which featured poems by Édouard Beaufils.
His exhibitions were held in various locations, including the Salon de la Société nationale des beaux-arts and the Salon des amis des arts in Nantes. In his later years, he exhibited at the art gallery of the magasins du Bon Marché in Paris. Simas passed away in Saint-Julien-du-Sault.
