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Art of the 20th Century
Andre Masson
Andre Masson
(b Balagne, 4 Jan 1896; d Paris, 28 Oct 1987).
French painter, draughtsman, printmaker and stage designer. His work played an important role in the development of both SURREALISM and ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM, although his independence, iconoclasm and abrupt stylistic transitions make him difficult to classify. Masson was admitted to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts et l’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Brussels at the age of 11. Through his teacher Constant Montald, he met the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren (1855–1916), who persuaded Masson’s parents to send him to Paris for further training. Masson joined the French infantry in 1915 and fought in the battles of the Somme; he was gravely wounded, and his wartime experiences engendered in him a profound philosophy about human destiny and stimulated his search for a personal imagery of generation, eclosion and metamorphosis.
