Frans Masereel born Blankenberge, Belgium, 1889; died Avignon, France, 1972. The Saleswomen, 1923 watercolour, brush and black ink on paper Gift of Rose and Charles Tabachnick, 2008
Frans Masereel née à Blankenberge, Belgique, 1889; mort à Avignon, France, 1972. Les Vendeuses, 1923 aquarelle, encre noire au pinceau sur papier Don de Rose et Charles Tabachnick, 2008
Frans Masereel: The Pulse of Paris
EXHIBITION OVERVIEW
Frans Masereel (1889–1972) was a celebrated printmaker whose bold black and white woodcut prints have inspired comic book illustrators and graphic novelists. Although he was born in Belgium, Masereel spent much of his long and productive career in France. By 1922, Paris was his home base, and he focused on the life of the city in prints, oil paintings and watercolours. His large, vibrant watercolours capture the frenetic pace, seedy nightlife and bright lights that illuminated the crowded streets, cafés and shops of Paris in the 1920s.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is grateful to Rose and Charles Tabachnick for their recent donation of this collection of watercolours and woodcuts.