Maurice Brianchon (French 1899-1979) Interior scene (backstage at the theater) Watercolor and gouache on paper Signed lower right “Brianchon” Frame measures 16 X 17.5. Sight Size 8.5″ x 10.5″ Provenance: Sold at Christie’s NYC February 22, 1985, (Park Avenue estate) Maurice Brianchon was a French Impressionist & Modern painter. Brianchon studied in Bordeaux at the École des Beaux-Arts under Paul Quinsac, a sculptor; in 1917 he moved to Paris and entered the École des Beaux Arts Decoratifs 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 designs for the Aubusson and Gobelins ateliers, 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. He became well known for his theater and ballet decors for the Paris Opera, as well as his intimate depictions of Parisian society, parks and gardens. He was appointed member of the selective Committee of the Salon d’Automne, and in 1934, represented France at the Venice Biennale, winning the coveted Carnegie Prize. In 1946, he was awarded the prestigious Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, was given a solo exhibition at the Wildenstein Gallery in London and had a major retrospective at the Louvre in 1951. The following year, Brianchon was selected as one of the official artists of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in England. His application of saturated, unmodulated areas of contrasting colors accentuates forms that appear to flatten against the pictorial surface. His work is in the manner of modernism and post impressionism. Brianchon’s harmonious composition contains a temporal, modernist quality that resonates with viewers and heightens its contemplative nature. Brianchon was influenced by artists such as Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard. Brianchon however stylistically stayed wedded to an esthetic that looked back, and like Pablo Picasso at that time, could be called neoclassical. Mostly known for oil painting, active alongside his wife Marguerite Louppe, Brianchon did create a number lithograph works with Mourlot, mostly of society milling about. Because of his limited output, his prints are quite scarce. Brianchon’s fame grew later in life as his work started finding its way to the United States and Japan. Part of the group La réalité Poétique. Christian Caillard, Roger Limousine, Roland Oudot, André Planson, Constantin Terechkovitch. He taught at the Ecole National Supérieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, along with Raymond-Jean Legueult Jules Cavailles and François Desnoyer and Roland Oudot. Jean Jansem, Rene Genis and Pierre Bisiaux were amongst his students. He is one of the important members of the French New Figurative Art. He has showed with Bernard Buffet, Tony Agostini, Maurice Sarthou, Paul Rebeyrolle, Roger Edgar Gillet, Henri Devieux, René Margotton, Andre Marchand, Henri Plisson, Guy Bardone, Maurice Brianchon, Jean Calogero.