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An illustration of two people in a room with two tall, yellow and blue patterned columns. One person sits atop a wooden ladder, while another person with a white beard sits in a striped chair below.

Léa Maupetit illustrates the career of Matisse's apprentice Jacqueline Duhême

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Date
10 January 2017

Léa Maupetit is a French illustrator who has had us previously enamoured with her delightfully sweet paintings and drawings. With carefully constructed patterns layered to create compositions, she is an artist who displays tactility with delicate charm.

This is a charm which captivated Parisian lifestyle publication, L’instant Parisien who commissioned Léa for it’s most recent issue. The article which Léa’s illustrations run alongside is a conversation with Jacqueline Duhême, an incredible French artist who started her career as an apprentice to Henri Matisse. During Jacqueline’s career she continued to work with the crème de la crème of French creatives, from poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert to Pablo Picasso.

To demonstrate Jacqueline’s career and those who have employed her illustrational skills, Léa’s pieces display each of her artististic acquaintances. From helping Henri Matisse display his prominent cut-outs, assisting Pablo Picasso with his painted pottery, or sitting with Jacques Prévert in the garden while he writes and smokes a cigarette. Léa’s editorial work displays both her own stylistic tendencies and the creative she is depicting. The prints are available in a limited edition of 50 here.

An illustration of two people working on a large stained-glass window. One person sits atop a wooden ladder, while a person with a white beard and glasses sits in a striped chair, holding a piece of blue glass.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Henri Matisse for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of a person with white hair and a beard sitting in a black and white striped chair. They wear glasses, a teal top and maroon trousers, holding a pair of scissors.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Henri Matisse for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of three people in a pottery studio, surrounded by shelves of eclectic ceramics. One person reaches up to place a patterned pot on a shelf, while another holds a small black animal figure.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Pablo Picasso for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of three people surrounded by a collection of patterned ceramics. They stand in a studio with shelves holding various vases and plates decorated with stylised faces and figures.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Pablo Picasso for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of various ceramic objects on a reddish-brown surface. The collection includes a patterned blue and white vase, a green plate featuring a face, and a black and white owl sculpture.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Pablo Picasso for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of three people sitting around a small table at an outdoor cafe. They are surrounded by lush green foliage and tropical plants under a bright sky.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Jacques Prévert for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of three people sitting around a small round table outdoors. They are surrounded by large, stylised green and yellow tropical plants.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Jacques Prévert for L’instant Parisien

An illustration of two people sitting at a small red table. A person in a blue shirt and light blue shorts sketches in a notebook while smoking a cigar.
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Léa Maupetit: Jacqueline Duhême & Jacques Prévert for L’instant Parisien

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

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Lucy (she/her) was part of the It’s Nice That team from 2016–2025, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication, eventually becoming a senior editor on our editorial team, and most recently at Insights, a research-driven department with It’s Nice That.

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