Louis Azema

Louis was the youngest of three brothers. His two elder brothers, Auguste (1868-1948) and Ernest (1871-1917), were also visual artists. He was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier in 1892, and after a year of study, he joined the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Blessed with a beautiful bass voice, he simultaneously entered the Paris Conservatory of Music. In 1900, he won the First Prize for Singing, at the Opera, and at the Opéra Comique. He was engaged from 1901 to 1902 at the Lyon Opera and then joined the troupe of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra Comique in Paris as first singing bass. His career continued successfully until 1935. From 1941 to 1942, he became director of the Société du Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse.

A student of Gustave Moreau, François Flameng and Fernand Cormon, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1911, 1912 and 1921 and won the gold medal in 1921. He was subsequently Hors-Concours.

Toulouse will mark the artist's accomplishment by becoming Honorary President of the Salon des Artistes Français and the Salon des Artistes Occitans.

He was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour (1925).

He is buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery (26th division).

The French government acquired several of his works. The Agathois Jules Baudou Museum houses fifteen of his paintings. The museums of Sète, Toulouse, Montpellier, and Béziers also hold works by this forgotten artist, who was brought to light with his two brothers during an exhibition held in 2009 in Agde: "Azéma, a family of Agathois artists."