Culture > Art and Artists
French Art and artists
The period for which art in France is most renowned is from about 1820-1920, when the art that emerged from France was to set the stage for all modern art to come after it. Much art as we know it today is derived from the experiments carried out during that period.
The other period for which art in France is well known dates back a little further - to the prehistoric cave paintings, scratched on walls deep underground 20,000 years ago.
This section introduces each period in the history of French art, and the role played by some of the most renowned artists in the world. You can also see a timeline of French art
- Classical art in France - art from the 15th to the 18th centuries
- 19th century French art - a break with the formal traditions of the past
- French impressionist painters - includes articles about Manet / Monet / Renoir / Degas
- the post-impressionists and developments in French art at the start of the 20th century (see also cubism) - includes articles about Seurat / Cezanne / Gauguin
- 20th century and Modern art in France - includes articles about Braque / Leger / Matisse
France continued to have renowned artists into the second half of the 20th century - Jean Dubuffet and Yves Klein, for example. But by this time France was no longer the source of the inventions in art. The centre of inventions in art was to move to the USA, but we can't forget that, to a very large degree, it was France and French artists who ushered in this new world.
See also artists listings for other countries