(Morges/Lake Geneva 1829-1898 Düsseldorf)
A Joyful Welcome, signed, with indication of place and dated B. Vautier Ddf (18)74, oil on canvas, 79 x 103 cm, framed, (Rei)

The Swiss painter Benjamin Vautier is regarded as one of the most influential representatives of the Düsseldorf School. Vautier was born in Morges on Lake Geneva in 1829 and moved to Düsseldorf in 1850, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in the class of Carl Ferdinand Sohn (1805-1867), later joining to the studio of Rudolf Jordan (1810-1887). His origins in the Swiss province probably contributed significantly to his interest in the depiction of peasant life. Numerous study trips brought him back to Switzerland, where he incorporated scenes from rural life in the areas around Geneva and in the Bernese Highlands into his painting, under the influence of Karl Girardet (1813-1871) and Alfred von Muyden (1818-1898). Further journeys led him to the Black Forest, where he was the spearhead of what would later become the Gutach artists’ colony in the village of Gutach. Vautier also spent a long time in Paris, before he finally settled in Düsseldorf in 1857. There he quickly acquired a reputation as an outstanding genre painter within the Düsseldorf School. He remained faithful to the subject of rural scenes. His paintings captivated their viewers through their psychological depth and subtlety and were highly appreciated at exhibitions. Vautier was much sought after as a celebrated painter of peasant motifs, with his works entering many collections of major museums. All his paintings were very conscientiously prepared down to the last detail with numerous drawings. Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier the Elder also taught as a professor and was a member of the Academies of Berlin, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Vienna and Munich. Awards such as the Franz Joseph Order, the Order of the Red Eagle and the Bavarian Order of Saint Michael also bear witness to his enormous success.