Julia Weber has become the first recipient of the Robert Savary Prize, awarded at the 2026 Salon d’Automne in Paris at the initiative of Anny Duperey. Established in tribute to the painter Robert Savary, who was once her painting teacher, the award celebrates colour, light and artistic transmission. In exclusive interviews with ART MAG International, Anny Duperey and Christine Maillard, President of Les Amis du Salon d’Automne, reveal how the prize came into being and why Julia Weber’s painting was selected. The artist also reflects on her creative practice and what receiving this inaugural award means to her.
Anny Duperey: A Lasting Bond with Robert Savary
Robert Savary held a special place in Anny Duperey’s life. Far beyond his role as her teacher, the painter passed on an artistic sensibility that has remained with her ever since.
A recipient of the Prix de Rome and an official painter of the French Navy, Robert Savary taught her painting before she decided to pursue a career in theatre. Yet this change of direction never diminished her passion for painting.
Over the years, Anny Duperey continued to visit him, show him her paintings and seek his advice. Their artistic connection was rooted, in particular, in a shared love of colour.
“We have the same palette,” her former teacher would sometimes tell her.
When the actress returned to the world of art salons, the idea of paying tribute to him gradually took shape. Rather than simply commemorating the past, however, she wanted to ensure that his memory would remain part of contemporary artistic creation.
This led to the idea of establishing a prize in his name, recognising an artist whose work would resonate with his distinctive painterly sensibility.
Further reading: Anny Duperey: Another Life in Painting
Best known for her acting career, Anny Duperey has always nurtured a passion for painting, shaped in particular by her training under Robert Savary.
Christine Maillard: The Driving Force Behind the Creation of the Prize
The initiative took shape thanks to Christine Maillard, a painter and President of the association Les Amis du Salon d’Automne.
Founded in 1968 at the initiative of Édouard McEvoy, then President of the Salon d’Automne, the association has spent decades supporting artists and encouraging artistic exchange. Today, it brings together nearly 200 members and organises several exhibitions each year.
When Anny Duperey shared her wish to honour Robert Savary, Christine Maillard suggested establishing an artistic award in his name.
As an artist herself, Maillard approached the initiative with a particular sensitivity to painting and the individuality of each work. The aim was to select, from among the works exhibited at the Salon d’Automne, a creation whose colours, light or artistic sensibility recalled the painter’s universe.
“Is it the light? Is it the colours?” Christine Maillard asks, reflecting on the qualities that might guide the selection.
The Robert Savary Prize thus emerged from a shared ambition: to preserve an artist’s memory while encouraging contemporary talent.
Julia Weber, the First Recipient of the Robert Savary Prize
For the inaugural edition, Anny Duperey involved Florian Savary, the painter’s son, in selecting the winning work.
Together, they considered the works exhibited at the Salon d’Automne. Several caught their attention before a painting by Julia Weber emerged as their choice.
“We went all the way around, looked carefully at everything […] and then, suddenly, there it was — we came across that one,” Anny Duperey recalls during our interview.
For Christine Maillard, the artistic connection was immediately apparent:
“It feels as though she has borrowed the painter Savary’s palette.”
But Anny Duperey’s appreciation goes beyond this chromatic affinity. She was particularly struck by the richness of detail in Julia Weber’s painting.
“It’s subtle,” she observes, describing the painting as “truly extraordinarily detailed and carefully worked”.
Julia Weber, Painter: Colour at the Heart of Her Work
For Julia Weber, receiving this inaugural award carries particular significance.
She associates Robert Savary with a luminous, joyful approach to painting, recognising in his work certain concerns that also inform her own artistic practice.
Her visual world draws on observations of everyday life: gardens, landscapes, urban scenes and human figures become the starting points for compositions in which colours and forms appear to engage in dialogue.
Working in gouache, pastel and oils, she explores the relationships between people, objects and their surroundings. Contrasts, rhythms and chromatic correspondences structure landscapes in which reality is gradually transformed through colour.
The origins of this sensibility can be traced back to her childhood. Her grandfather, an amateur painter, taught her to draw and passed on his love of artistic creation. After his death, he left her his oil-painting case, a treasured reminder of an early influence that would continue to shape her artistic vocation.
This personal history adds another dimension to the award. Like Anny Duperey, Julia Weber discovered painting through an influential figure whose teaching continues to inform the way she sees the world.
A Prize to Support Contemporary Artists
Beyond paying tribute to Robert Savary, the award seeks to bring greater visibility to contemporary artists.
For Anny Duperey, the prize should offer encouragement and perhaps open up new opportunities for Julia Weber.
“I hope this prize will bring her […] even greater visibility,” she says.
Christine Maillard, meanwhile, is determined to establish the initiative as a lasting event.
“I want to make it a permanent fixture,” says the President of Les Amis du Salon d’Automne in Paris.
In recognising Julia Weber, the Robert Savary Prize celebrates far more than a shared affinity for colour. It reveals a meeting of two distinctive painterly sensibilities, brought together through Anny Duperey’s discerning eye.
A reminder that a painter’s legacy is measured not only by the works they leave behind, but also by those they continue to inspire.
Coming Soon in ART MAG International, Issue 36
Robert Savary and Julia Weber: When Colour Becomes a Legacy
In its January–February 2027 issue, ART MAG International will explore this artistic connection further through a comparative analysis of the two painters’ works. The feature will examine their colour palettes, their treatment of light and the artistic transmission that connects generations.
Discover this feature in our forthcoming print and digital edition.
This article draws on exclusive interviews conducted by ART MAG International with Anny Duperey and Christine Maillard, President of Les Amis du Salon d’Automne, together with a written statement provided by Julia Weber.
FAQ
Painter Julia Weber became the first recipient of the Robert Savary Prize, awarded at the 2026 Salon d’Automne in Paris. Her painting particularly impressed Anny Duperey with its rich pictorial detail and the striking similarities between its colour palette and that of Robert Savary.
Robert Savary was Anny Duperey’s painting teacher. Their artistic relationship continued long after her initial training, sustained by a shared passion for colour. By initiating this prize, the actress and painter hopes to preserve her former teacher’s artistic legacy.
Julia Weber is a contemporary painter whose work explores the relationships between people and their surroundings. Inspired by gardens, landscapes and everyday scenes, her compositions are characterised by vibrant colours and intricate details.
The Robert Savary Prize originated from Anny Duperey’s wish to honour her former painting teacher. The initiative was brought to life with the support of Christine Maillard, President of Les Amis du Salon d’Automne, who proposed establishing an artistic award in his name.