Andre Masson Art

The painter and graphic artist André Masson was born in Balagny, a village on Ile de France. In 1904 Masson moved to Brussels where he attended the academy of fine arts. In 1912 André Masson went to Paris. There Masson was admitted to the Paul Baudoin studio at the 'Ecole National Superieure des Beaux-Arts'. When the war broke out, Masson became a soldier. In 1917 he was severely injured and spent several months in an army hospital. In 1922 André Masson returned to Paris, where his art was influenced by André Derrain and Cubism. A little later he met the Surrealist artists and subsequently joined the movement in 1924. In 1925 the first surrealist exhibition took place in the Pierre gallery, including some of Masson's works. In protest against Breton's authoritarian claim to leadership Masson left the group five years later. In 1945 Masson returned to Paris. He broke with Surrealism once and for all. Masson's versatile oeuvre also includes illustrations of books and stage designs. In 1966 Masson produced a ceiling painting for the Parisian Théatre Odéon.

Artist Andre Masson