Claude Benard On Sale

Claude Benard was born in Cholet in 1926, but shortly afterward, his family moved to Angoulême (1928), where he was to live until his death in 2016. Benard studied at the École des beaux-arts in Paris and also in the studios of Cheyssial and Fougerat. At the age of 21, he began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français. After some time spent traveling to broaden his artistic experience, he returned to his hometown to continue painting professionally. He became a professor at the Ecole des beaux-arts in Angoulême from 1957–80. Benard exhibited with numerous prestigious institutions throughout France and abroad, including the Salon des Artistes Français, Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d'Automne, Paris. He was the recipient of more than 70 awards. In 1978, he founded the Cercle Angoumousin des Arts and in 1979 organized a Salon of Contemporary Art in Angoulême, bringing together celebrated artists from the Charente region. His style evolved from figurative in the 1960s to Surrealism into the 1970s and onwards. Four tribute exhibitions of his works were held in Angoulême in 1972, 1984, 2001 and 2017.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract, landscape and still-life paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs. Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel. Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color?

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by popular artists and more today.