Bernard Gantner (1928-2018) is a French artist born in 1928 in the town of Belfort in the Alsace region of France. His talent emerged at the young age of nine; his propensity for drawing was remarkable. His grandfather, who was a teacher, was able to nurture and encourage Gantner’s gift and taught him to appreciate the wonders of nature. During World War II, Gantner was fortunate in that the curator from the museum in Belfort became his mentor and initiated him into the world of oil painting. The museum was closed to the public because of the war so Gantner practically had the museum to himself. Gantner was able to admire and study the medieval works and art by such renowned artists as Delacroix, Courbet, and Seurat. After finishing school in Belfort, Gantner went to Paris to expand his horizons. He studied at the School of Fine Arts, and spent much of his time soaking in the enormous amount of culture Paris had to offer; the museums, the galleries, the architecture.
After about a year, Gantner returned home and began his career. Gantner was noticed by the great art critic Claude Roger Mars. Shortly after that, he won the Critic’s Prize in 1961 and since that time Gantner’s reputation never ceased to grow. Gantner is renowned for his remarkable work in lithography. There have been more than 60 exhibitions devoted to his work in France, Great Britain USA, and Canada. Today, Gantner’s work can be found in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Gantner has had retrospectives at the Château de Val, Abbey of Baume-les-Dames, Florival Museum in Guebwiller, Mulhouse, in Strasbourg, Vittel, Chicago, Basel and Tokyo. In 1998 he obtained the Legion of Honor.
Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 59. 31.5 x 44.5cm. Provenance: London, The Piccadilly Gallery
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