Galerie Paul Prouté

Although Albert Besnard—who was highly celebrated during his lifetime and showered with honors—was long forgotten, his prints have never ceased to be known among art lovers. Indeed, alongside his vast body of work—which includes portraits, studies of women, large-scale set designs (including that of the Comédie-Française), and Orientalist paintings executed in oil, watercolor, or pastel—Besnard’s oeuvre also comprises just over two hundred prints. Often executed in etching and drypoint (sometimes on an aquatint background), they reveal another facet of the artist—one that is dark, even terrifying. The two series, La Femme and Elle, are the best examples of this, the former depicting the sudden onset of death in everyday life and the latter the downfall of a woman who was once happy.