A lovely Parisian townscape scene by Antoine Blanchard of the Place de la Concorde on a rainy day. Horse and carts are shown making their way across Paris’s largest public square. Pedestrians can also be seen walking near the famous Obelisk and ornamental fountains. In the distance lies the Palais Bourbon with the dome of the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides rising above it to the right.

Antoine Blanchard was the pseudonym of Marcel Masson, a townscape artist born in France on 15 November, 1910 near Blois, not far from the Loire. He was the eldest of three children and his father was a carver who ran a carpentry and furniture shop. Antoine showed an early artistic flair and his parents sent him to Blois for drawing lessons, however, he spent most of his early working life running the family business, painting occasionally for pleasure.

He continued his training in Rennes at the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied sculpture and drawing. He was awarded the schools highest award Le Prix du Ministre. By 1932, he had left the family business and moved to Paris to study. He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and after a few years entered the competition for the Prix de Rome.

Whilst in Paris he developed a love for the city and especially enjoyed collecting images of the city from the 1890’s. Many of his works were taken from these images and he would often continue to work on paintings for months before he finally felt they were complete.

Blanchard exhibited at a number of galleries including Gallerie Castiglione, Paris, Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago and Omell Galleries, London. He died in Paris on 10 August, 1988. His works have become highly sought after and today he is considered one of the leading exponents of the School of Paris painters.

© Benton Fine Art