Maurice Utrillo

[ULAN] Son of the painter and model Suzanne Valadon. There has been much speculation over his paternity. Miguel Utrillo officially recognized Maurice as his son in 1891, though he may not have been his biological father. Valadon gave him lessons in painting as therapy for his teenage alcoholism. He proved to be a prolific painter of Paris streetscapes and the French countryside. He exhibited first in 1909 at the Salon d'Automne. He continued to drink heavily, suffered from depression, and in 1916 he entered a mental hospital. He was in and out of institutions in the early 1920s. In spite of this he lived a long life and had two retrospectives: 1947 at the Paul Pétridès Gallery and in 1948 at the Salon d'Automne.