Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut, United Kingdom / France (1872-1951)
A Sensitive Gaze
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Born on December 12, 1872, in Sydenham, South London, to a family originally from Reval, Russia (present-day Tallinn, Estonia)—though some sources also suggest French ancestry—Lilian Catherine de Glehn-Thibaut led a discreet yet remarkable artistic career during the first half of the 20th century.
Raised in a cultivated and cosmopolitan environment, de Glehn-Thibaut belonged to a family with a rich legacy in the arts, sciences, and intellectual life. Her upbringing provided fertile ground for her artistic development. Her brother, Wilfrid de Glehn, an Impressionist painter and close associate of John Singer Sargent, was nicknamed the "British Renoir." The de Glehn family also included Alfred de Glehn, a renowned railway engineer, and Louise Creighton, a prominent suffragist and historian. This constellation of accomplished relatives created an atmosphere where the arts and intellectual engagement were deeply intertwined. |
Restoration of Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut's painting
Sauzon, Belle-Isle, oil on canvas © Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut / Fonds d'art contemporain - Paris Collections |
After settling in France in 1900, de Glehn-Thibaut married Professor of Medicine Édouard Rist, with whom she had two children. Following their separation in 1911 and the death of their daughter, she married Belgian painter Fernand Thibaut, a friend of Modigliani, and adopted his surname. During the 1920s and 1930s, she established herself as a full-fledged artist and developed a body of work that bridged painting and the decorative arts. She exhibited regularly at major Parisian salons, including the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Tuileries, and the Salon des Indépendants, as well as at commercial galleries like the Bon Marché Art Gallery and the prestigious Galerie Druet from 1930. In 1934, she participated in an "Exhibition of Women Painters" organized by gallerist Janine Castel, where she showcased a painting described as "beautiful Physalis" according to the journal Le Cri du Jour. As no gallerist by the name of Janine Castel has been identified, this was very likely a reference to Jeanne Castel, a well-known gallery owner of the time and associate of art dealer Paul Guillaume.
Critics consistently admired her work, noting the delicacy of her floral compositions, the robust strength of her still lifes, and the sensitive quality of her landscapes, which were described as "richly coloured" and possessing a "sombre grandeur." Oscillating between realism and decorative stylization, her art presents a view of the natural world that is at times tinged with melancholy. Her repertoire also included nudes, as evidenced by her participation in the 1923 Salon d'Automne (where she was listed as a French artist), and distinguished herself in the field of applied arts: three porcelain tea and coffee sets featuring her designs were presented at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, marking her contribution to the Art Deco movement. The art critic Yvanhoé Rambosson praised the quality of these pieces. She embarked on this endeavour with her husband, the couple having collaborated with Haviland, a manufacturer of fine porcelain.
Between 1924 and 1935, she is listed as working at 14 Cité Falguière, one of the most vibrant artistic hubs in Paris at the time. She lived there with Fernand Thibaut for over two decades, from at least 1912 to 1938, and the couple also maintained a residence in La Roche-Guyon. The work, Sauzon, Belle-Île, represents a street with intentionally simplified forms, with the inscription on the reverse of the canvas: "Madame de Glehn-Thibaut, 14 Cité Falguière, Paris XVe."
While details of her early training and work before 1920 remain relatively unknown, it is likely she benefited greatly from her family's stimulating artistic milieu, particularly the influence of her brother Wilfrid. She appears to have ceased exhibiting around the time of the Second World War and died in 1951, at the age of 78.
Long overlooked by mainstream art history, Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut represents a generation of women artists who, despite successful careers in their time, gradually faded from collective memory. This exhibition seeks to bring her work back into the light and to honor the subtlety of her vision and the depth of her sensitivity.
Edith Varez
Art Historian
Translated from French by Katarina Lupert
For bibliography and French version
© L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière Associations, 2025
Critics consistently admired her work, noting the delicacy of her floral compositions, the robust strength of her still lifes, and the sensitive quality of her landscapes, which were described as "richly coloured" and possessing a "sombre grandeur." Oscillating between realism and decorative stylization, her art presents a view of the natural world that is at times tinged with melancholy. Her repertoire also included nudes, as evidenced by her participation in the 1923 Salon d'Automne (where she was listed as a French artist), and distinguished herself in the field of applied arts: three porcelain tea and coffee sets featuring her designs were presented at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, marking her contribution to the Art Deco movement. The art critic Yvanhoé Rambosson praised the quality of these pieces. She embarked on this endeavour with her husband, the couple having collaborated with Haviland, a manufacturer of fine porcelain.
Between 1924 and 1935, she is listed as working at 14 Cité Falguière, one of the most vibrant artistic hubs in Paris at the time. She lived there with Fernand Thibaut for over two decades, from at least 1912 to 1938, and the couple also maintained a residence in La Roche-Guyon. The work, Sauzon, Belle-Île, represents a street with intentionally simplified forms, with the inscription on the reverse of the canvas: "Madame de Glehn-Thibaut, 14 Cité Falguière, Paris XVe."
While details of her early training and work before 1920 remain relatively unknown, it is likely she benefited greatly from her family's stimulating artistic milieu, particularly the influence of her brother Wilfrid. She appears to have ceased exhibiting around the time of the Second World War and died in 1951, at the age of 78.
Long overlooked by mainstream art history, Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut represents a generation of women artists who, despite successful careers in their time, gradually faded from collective memory. This exhibition seeks to bring her work back into the light and to honor the subtlety of her vision and the depth of her sensitivity.
Edith Varez
Art Historian
Translated from French by Katarina Lupert
For bibliography and French version
© L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière Associations, 2025
Lilian de Glehn-Thibaut is one of more than 30 artists from Cité Falguière whose works are now part of the Fonds d’Art Contemporain - Paris Collections, representing the community's creative continuum from the 19th to the 21st century.
