March 18, 1947

Edgar Chahine (October 31, 1874 to March 18, 1947) was Armenian, though he was born in Austria. He grew up in Constantinople where his father was a director of the Ottoman Bank. He became a popular painter and etcher in France, and in 1925 became a naturalized French citizen. In 1900 his series, "Lamentable Life" featuring scenes of poverty, had won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition (Paris). In 1932 Edgar Chahine was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur. He did book illustrations also, as example the 1930 edition of Colette's Mitsou contained his drawings.

Biographical information about Edgar Chahine is sparse in English sources. Therefore a few details may be captured here. Chahine was a friend of Archag Tchobanian, a fellow Armenian, and a poet, who was concerned to incorporate their homeland into the cultural world of Europe. He came to Paris in 1895, fleeing Turkish persecution, the same year as Chahine arrived in that capital, and so possibly Chahine was affected by the persecution of Armenians. We don't know how or whether  his father's money protected him in the tumultuous 20th century. However we found a note about an estate Chahine owned. I am not sure when it was acquired but it sounds quite luxurious. The home of Edgar Chahine is described thusly :

"Le Prieure St. Michel ... [is a] 13th-14th century Benedictine priory. Around it there's an exquisite park, with superb rose and herb gardens, and five lovely guest rooms." "Guest rooms" because currently [2005] the estate is a tourist destination. And until recently it was a museum for Chahine's art: "From 1994 to 2002, Pierre Chahine, the painter's son, led a museum dedicated to the work of his father in the Priory of Saint-Michel -Crouttes Vimoutiers..."

We read in an unverifiable source that much of his art was destroyed in two accidents: a 1926 fire in his Parisian studio and a 1942 flood. Chahine produced a print featuring a cat, the 1922 work, "Venice: Corte Bottera". This is also scarce. I found a reference to it in a 2002 catalog, listing cat prints for sale, but that does not contain an online copy.