Maurice Brianchon

Maurice Brianchon was born at Fresnay-sur-Sarthe on the 11th January, 1899. He first studied in Bordeaux at the École des Beaux-Arts under Quinsac, a sculptor; in 1917 he moved to Paris and entered the École des Beaux Arts Décoratifs where he trained under Eugène Morand. He first exhibited at the Salon d'automne in 1920 and by 1922 was a committee member of the same Salon.   In 1924 he won the Prix Blumenthal and a travel scholarship that he used to tour Spain. In 1939 he was awarded the Carnegie Prize. Brianchon executed murals for the Conservatoire de Musique et d'Art Dramatique de Paris, the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly and the Palais de Chaillot, tapestry cartoons for the Aubusson and Gobelins factories, and book illustrations including Andre Gide's ‘Theatre Complet.’   He also was an accomplished stage designer, working on costumes and sets for ‘Fausses Confidences’ and ‘La Seconde Surprise de l'Amour’ by Marivaux. Brianchon’s first solo show was at the Galerie Le Portique in Paris, and he went on to exhibit with Wildenstein both in London and Paris, and at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Neuchatel, Switzerland.  Brianchon was not tied to Europe however, and his paintings were shown regularly in America and once at an exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. He was a particularly highly regarded member of the Peintres de la Réalité Poétique group, and exhibited with them in 1956. Brianchon’s principle influences included Matisse, Vuillard and Bonnard, as well as older masters, notably Manet. His paintings can be found in many public collections, not least the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. Maurice Bianchon died in March, 1979, in his adoptive home town of Paris.