ETIENNE TERRUS, A FREE PAINTER

In 2025, the City of Perpignan acquired an unpublished portrait of Étienne Terrus (1909-1917), painted around 1905-1907 by the neo-impressionist Maximilien Luce (1858-1941).
This work, of great sensitivity, serves as the starting point for an exhibition dedicated to the rediscovery of this discreet yet essential artist in the artistic history of Roussillon. Trained in Paris and close to the avant-gardes without ever losing himself in them, Étienne Terrus chose a strong territorial anchoring.

He returned very early to Elne, his hometown, where he developed a subtle landscape painting, inspired by the southern light, and tinged with a silent modernity. A local figure, he was a close friend of Aristide Maillol, who created a bust portrait of him, a work presented in the permanent collection of the Rigaud Museum.

The sculptor spoke of Terrus's qualities: "He was a painter, you know. He had such a delicate feeling for the landscape... He made watercolors like no one else, wonders (...) In what he does, all the tones are felt. Every stroke is alive. It's like the notes of Mozart. Not one of them doesn't sing"
(Henri Frère, Conversations de Maillol, Geneva [1956], 2016, p. 96).

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