Biography

H.S.H. Princess Marsi Sukhumbhand Paribatra (Marsi) is the only daughter of H.R.H. Prince Chumbhot of Nagor Svarga and M.R. Pantip Paribatra, born on 25 August 1931 at Bangkhunprom Palace (now the office of the Bank of Thailand) in Bangkok.

Art is a reflection of life and death.
I try to interpret this in my way.

Marsi Tweet

After the political upheaval of 1932 which ended the absolute monarchy in Thailand, Marsi accompanied her parents first to Java and England, where she attended primary school until the family returned to Thailand. She then went to Mater Dei School, a Catholic school in Bangkok, in 1940, for the last year of primary education.

During the Second World War, Mater Dei School had to evacuate to Hua Hin, a seaside village in Prachuap Kiri khan. Marsi’s father had a bungalow in the same village so they all spent time there and the Princess cycled from her home to school and back every day together with her friends. These happy memories made Marsi feel that Hua Hin is her second home, so she liked to visit it whenever she had a chance.

Then the war ended, and life returned to normalcy. Marsi returned to Bangkok to complete her secondary education at Mater Dei School in 1946, after which she went to further her studies in Switzerland, France and Spain.

Marsi As An Academic

Marsi was granted a doctorate degree in Literature from the University of Paris in 1954 for the thesis: Le Romantisme Contemporain. In 1959, she was awarded a second Doctorate degree in Art History from the University of Madrid, Spain, on thesis entitled “Bases sociales, technicas y espirituales de la Pintura Paisajista en Chine”.

Marsi began her career as an academic. She lectured on Far Eastern Civilization at the Faculty of Arts, University of Madrid, and was also lecturer on History of Art at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Marsi as An Artist

Although Princess Marsi had shown her artistic talent since she was young, she did not take up serious studies on drawing and painting until after she turned thirty.

In 1960s, she gave up her teaching career and spent her time training herself in art and learning from the works of famous artists in museums and art centres. She was also advised on proper methods and techniques in painting by some of her fellow artists, such as André Poujet and others.

Marsi worked with many groups of French artists and had her paintings exhibited at the Salon Comparaisons, Musée de l’ Art Moderne, in Paris regularly between 1964–1972. She also joined the l’ Art Fantastique group in their exhibition “Figuratif de l’Imaginaire Surreal”, her favorite style of art, and had her paintings exhibited regularly in the region.

In 1979, Marsi exhibited her works for the first time in Thailand at Silpa Bhirasri Art Centre in Bangkok.

Marsi in France

In terms of personal life, Marsi was married to a French Professor Jacques Bousquet, who worked at the UNESCO in Madrid, Spain. After the Princess exhibited her paintings more frequently in France, she moved to Paris. When she had her works exhibited many times in the South of France, she discovered a small village called Annot in the Alpes de Haute-Provence. The Princess fell in love with charms of Annot and decided to build a studio there. Since 1970, she lived in this home named “Vellara.”

While in Annot, the Princess had her paintings shown in many exhibitions in Southern France such as Antibes, Vence, Nice, Le Havre, Menton and Monaco, until she become widely recognized among artists in the region.

Apart from her passion for art, Marsi also had a great love for Nature, music and animals, as well as being a good cook. “Vellara”, a small cottage and a studio where she worked was surrounded by fresh air and natural beauty of flower gardens, forests and streams. Inside, Marsi’s home was full of warmth and smell of animals, dogs and birds, which were her family and were important elements in her paintings. The large window of her studio captured natural sunlight of the mountains which were ideal for painting. While she worked, the studio was filled not only with the sound of opera and classical music but also the chirping birds around.

In 2004, Marsi unfortunately suffered from a stroke and was unable to paint until she passed away. She lived amidst nature, music and animals in “Vellara” until her last moments of life on 9 July 2013. The cremation took place peacefully at the Crématorium de Nice-Côte d’Azur, Colomars, France. Part of her ashes lie with those of her ancestors at, Sukhumala Narumitra Memorial Monument, the Royal Cemetry, Ratchabophit temple, but another part is buried in the grounds of “Vellara”, the place she called “Home”.

Biography

Marsi As An Academic

Marsi as An Artist

Marsi in France

สมัครรับข่าวสาร