Family origins Doctor Stéphen-Charles Chauvet was born on , in
Béthune (Pas-de-Calais), of Norman origin. His father was an inventor.
Medical studies A laureate in the general competition, he obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy at the age of 15. The naturalist Mangin, director of the Museum, recognized his observational skills and convinced him to abandon preparations for
Polytechnique in favor of a career in
medicine. He completed brilliant studies with an internship in Paris (1909–1914). He received numerous awards throughout his medical years, including the Faculty Laureate, the
Academy of Medicine, thesis prizes, and Gold Medals from the
Assistance publique. As a physician, his professional publications list included more than 300 titles, including articles, general reviews on various medical topics, books, and original works showcasing his medical discoveries.
World War I Chauvet went to the front in August 1914 and commenced his participation in World War I. He was wounded on 4 September 1914, in Saint-Maurice, Vosges, where a shell fragment caused left
hemiplegia resulting in chronic pain throughout his life. Following a series of efforts, Chauvet regained possession of this collection. It was so extensive that he had to rent storage on
Boulevard de Grenelle to keep it until he could find a place for it in a floor of his home on
Rue de Grenelle, in an old house that he had turned into a museum. Dr. Stéphen Chauvet found his most valuable pieces in the collections of missionaries and dealers in
Antwerp,
Brussels, and
Hamburg. Chauvet was also a major collector of Norman ceramics and wrote a book on ancestral Normandy. Chauvet's interest in indigenous art manifested itself through advocacy. In the early winter of 1923–1924, he conceived, wrote, and edited the guide for the exhibition on indigenous arts of French colonies at the
Pavillon de Marsan. He advocated for the creation of a "colonial museum," a French
Royal Museum for Central Africa to "educate our compatriots." In 1929, he acquired a collection of objects brought from Easter Island by the writer
Pierre Loti. In February 1930, he participated in the Negro Art Exhibition, presenting nearly 400 pieces of "very good quality" at the
Théâtre Pigalle Gallery. His ambition was to "make Paris the center of the movement in favor of indigenous arts." Three months later, after several weeks of preparation, he launched the Oceanic Art Exhibition of French colonies at the Galerie de la Renaissance. Also in 1930, his friendship with
Marshal Lyautey and Governor-General Antonetti allowed him to create, as part of the Colonial Exhibition, the Synthesis Palace's Indigenous Arts Exhibition from all French colonies. Preparing these rooms took him nine months of work. At the end of 1930, he participated in the Negro Art Exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels to promote the art of French colonies. On 17 October 1931, as passionate about music as he was about the
visual arts, he organized a gala evening given by the International Institute for the Study of African Languages and Civilizations, during which he played traditional African music and songs. Chauvet was generous to French museums. In February 1929, he donated a large collection of African and Oceanic art objects and weapons (over 800 pieces) to the Trocadéro Museum, which engraved his name in the entrance hall. These pieces are now at the
Quai Branly Museum. The Ethnographic Museums of
Lyon (1930),
Rouen (1931), the Navy Museum in
Brest (1931–1932), and the Ethnographic Museum in
Cherbourg (1933) also benefited from his generosity. Some pieces from his collection are now in private hands, like those held by the
Barbier-Mueller Museum in
Geneva. Dr. Chauvet authored numerous publications: volumes on New Guinea art and Easter Island. However, the war and his poor health practically interrupted his work.
Later life Having spent part of
World War II in
Monpazier,
Dordogne, where he had acquired a house, he died in
Paris on . He was buried in
Nicorps,
Manche. == Bibliography ==