Scheikévitch, Marie

Marie Scheikévitch was born near Moscow in 1882 and moved with her family to Paris in 1896. She was married for a short time to Pierre Carolus-Duran, a son of the painter Carolus-Duran, and through her father-in-law was introduced to literary and artistic circles of the time. She began a close friendship with Marcel Proust in 1912, whose letters to her were published in Lettres à Madame Scheikévitch (Paris, 1928). Scheikévitch published an autobiography, Souvenirs d'un temps disparu (Paris, 1935), and in her later years delivered radio broadcasts about her memories of Proust and other notable people. She died circa 1966.

The sculptor François Sicard married Lili Scheikévitch, a sister of Marie, circa 1898. The painter Pierre Sicard, a son of François and Lili, was born in 1900. He was appointed Peintre Officiel de la Guerre in 1944, and he lived and taught in California during the 1950s-60s.

From the description of Marie Scheikévitch papers and Sicard family papers, 1814-1979. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79895859

Marie Scheikévitch was born near Moscow in 1882 and moved with her family to Paris in 1896. She was married for a short time to Pierre Carolus-Duran, a son of the painter Carolus-Duran, and through her father-in-law was introduced to literary and artistic circles of the time. She began a close friendship with Marcel Proust in 1912, whose letters to her were published in Lettres à Madame Scheikévitch (Paris, 1928). Scheikévitch published an autobiography, Souvenirs d'un temps disparu (Paris, 1935), and in her later years delivered radio broadcasts about her memories of Proust and other notable people. She died circa 1966.

The sculptor François Sicard married Lili Scheikévitch, a sister of Marie, circa 1898. The painter Pierre Sicard, a son of François and Lili, was born in 1900. He was appointed Peintre Officiel de la Guerre in 1944, and he lived and taught in California during the 1950s-60s.

From the description of Marie Scheikévitch papers and Sicard family papers, 1814-1979. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702163198

Marie Scheikévitch was born in Russia at Petrovskoye Rasumovskoye, near Moscow, on July 20, 1882. Her father, a prosperous lawyer and art collector, settled the family in Paris in 1896. Scheikévitch was educated in Paris and in 1901 married Pierre Carolus-Duran, a musician and son of the painter Carolus-Duran. Through her father-in-law, she was introduced to the artistic and literary circles of the day. Scheikévitch gave birth to a son, André Carolus-Duran, in 1902, but the unhappiness of her marriage and severe depression led to a suicide attempt in 1905 and a divorce.

After her marriage ended, Scheikévitch continued to expand her involvement in Parisian society. During this period, she became acquainted with Marcel Proust, with whom she established a close friendship in 1912. When Du côté de chez Swann appeared in 1913, she was able to arrange through her friend Adrien Hébrard, director of the daily Le Temps, an exclusive interview with Proust, whose subsequent letters to her contain some of the most revealing comments he made on his own work. After the death of Proust, she published those letters in Lettres à Madame Scheikévitch (Paris: Librairie des Champs-Élysées, 1928), with a short memoir of Proust.

In 1914, Scheikévitch was struck with the deaths of both her younger brother Victor, who was killed in action in the World War, and Adrien Hébrard, who had been her lover. As a result of the Russian Revolution, she experienced a loss of income, and during this period of financial crisis she was briefly married to Jacques Vial, whom she divorced by 1921. In 1935 Scheikévitch published an autobiography, Souvenirs d'un temps disparu (Paris: Plon). An English translation, Time Past (Boston: Houghton Mifflin), appeared the same year. This work included an expanded memoir of Proust, as well as memoirs of her friendships with Anatole France, Jules Lemaître, Charles Marie Widor, Boni de Castellane, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Joseph Reinach, Arthur James Balfour, Anna de Noailles, Jean Cocteau, and other writers and artists.

Scheikévitch drew portraits of many of her well-known friends and worked as a portraitist for the League of Nations. In addition to her autobiography, her writings included a diary and unpublished works of fiction. In 1938 she spoke on Radio Paris about her memories of Proust, and she delivered radio talks during the 1950s-60s concerning her friendships with notable people. Scheikévitch continued to live in Paris through her later years.

The sculptor François Sicard (1862-1934) married Lili Scheikévitch, a sister of Marie, after producing a bust of Lili, commissioned by her father, in 1898. Sicard maintained friendships with a wide circle of artists and writers, including Georges Clemenceau, for whom he created a monument. The painter Pierre Sicard, a son of François and Lili, was born in 1900. He was appointed Peintre Officiel de la Guerre in 1944, and he lived and taught in California during the 1950s-60s.

From the guide to the Marie Scheikévitch papers and Sicard family papers, 1814-1979, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)