List of the most popular artists from France, listed alphabetically with photos when available. For centuries artists have been among the world's most important people, helping chronicle history and keep us entertained with one of the earliest forms of entertainment. Whether they're known for painting, sculpting, etching or drawing, the famous French artists on this list have kept that tradition alive by creating renowned pieces of art that have been praised around the world. You can find useful information below about these notable French artists, such as when they were born and where their place of birth was.
This list has a variety of artists in it, from Pauline Auzou to Jacques Monory.
This list answers the questions, "Which famous artists are from France?" and "Who are the most well-known French artists?"
For further information on these historic French artists, click on their names. If you're a fine art lover use this list of celebrated French artists to discover some new paintings that you will enjoy.Roger de La Fresnaye
The Conquest of the AirBirthplace: Le Mans, France
Associated periods or movements: Cubism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Roger de La Fresnaye (French: [ʁɔʒe də la fʁɛnɛ]; 11 July 1885 – 27 November 1925) was a... more on WikipediaMarcel Duchamp
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2Birthplace: Blainville-Crevon, France
Associated periods or movements: Dada, Surrealism, Conceptual art, Section d'Or
Nationality: France, United States of America
Art Forms: Sculpture, Painting
Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (; French: [maʁsɛl dyʃɑ̃]; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a... more on WikipediaHans Bellmer
The Machine Gun(neress) in a State of Grace, La PoupeeBirthplace: Katowice, Poland
Associated periods or movements: Dada, Surrealism
Nationality: France, Germany
Art Forms: Painting
Hans Bellmer (13 March 1902 – 24 February 1975) was a German artist, best known for the... more on WikipediaFernand Léger
The Baluster, Woman with a BookBirthplace: Argentan, France
Associated periods or movements: Modernism, Cubism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France, French Third Republic
Art Forms: Painting, Printmaking
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (French: [leʒe]; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French... more on WikipediaPaul Cézanne
The Basket of Apples, The Large BathersBirthplace: Aix-en-Provence, France
Associated periods or movements: Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Impressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting, Drawing
Paul Cézanne (US: or UK: ; French: [pɔl sezan]; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a... more on WikipediaYves Klein
Anthropometry: Princess Helena, Untitled (ANT154)Birthplace: Nice, France
Associated periods or movements: Monochrome painting, Nouveau réalisme, Conceptual art
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Yves Klein (French pronunciation: [iv klɛ̃]; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist... more on WikipediaPierre-Auguste Renoir
Bal du moulin de la Galette, Pont NeufBirthplace: Limoges, France
Associated periods or movements: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, commonly known as Auguste Renoir (; French: [pjɛʁ oɡyst ʁənwaʁ]; 25... more on WikipediaJean Metzinger
L'Oiseau bleu, Femme assise (Woman with Book)Birthplace: Nantes, France
Associated periods or movements: Fauvism, Divisionism, Cubism, Neo-impressionism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger (French: [mɛtsɛ̃ʒe]; 24 June 1883 – 3 November 1956) was a... more on WikipediaGeorges Braque
Woman with a Guitar, Still Life with a BottleBirthplace: Argenteuil, France
Associated periods or movements: Fauvism, Analytic cubism, Cubism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Sculpture, Painting, Printmaking, Drawing
Georges Braque (; French: [bʁak]; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century... more on WikipediaRobert Delaunay
Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon, The Three WindowsBirthplace: Paris, France
Associated periods or movements: Cubism, Section d'Or, Expressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Robert Delaunay (12 April 1885 – 25 October 1941) was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia... more on WikipediaAndré Lhote
Port de BordeauxBirthplace: Bordeaux, France
Associated periods or movements: Fauvism, Cubism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects,... more on WikipediaAuguste Herbin
CompositionBirthplace: Quiévy, France
Associated periods or movements: Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Impressionism, Abstract art
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Collage, Painting, Printmaking
Auguste Herbin (29 April 1882 – 31 January 1960) was a French painter of modern art. He is... more on WikipediaHenri Matisse
Woman with a Hat, Blue Nude IIBirthplace: Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France
Associated periods or movements: Fauvism, Modernism, Impressionism, Neo-impressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Sculpture, Collage, Painting, Printmaking, Drawing
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (French: [ɑ̃ʁi emil bənwɑ matis]; 31 December 1869 – 3 November... more on WikipediaClaude Monet
Water Lilies, The Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily PoolBirthplace: Paris, France
Associated periods or movements: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Oscar-Claude Monet (; French: [klod mɔnɛ]; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French... more on WikipediaJean Cocteau
Marianne, HarlequinBirthplace: Île-de-France, Europe, Metropolitan France, Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines
Associated periods or movements: Return to order
Nationality: France
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (French: [ʒɑ̃ kɔkto]; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was... more on WikipediaVictor Vasarely
Folklore planetaire, GranatBirthplace: Pécs, Hungary
Associated periods or movements: Hard-edge painting, Op art
Nationality: France, Hungary
Art Forms: Painting
Victor Vasarely (French: [viktɔʁ vazaʁəli]; born Győző Vásárhelyi, Hungarian: [ˈvaːʃaːrhɛji... more on WikipediaMarc Chagall
I and the Village, White CrucifixionBirthplace: Vitebsk, Belarus
Associated periods or movements: Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism
Nationality: France, United States of America, Russia, Belarus
Art Forms: Painting
Marc Zakharovich Chagall (born Moishe Zakharovich Shagal; 6 July [O.S. 24 June] 1887 – 28... more on WikipediaEdgar Degas
Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, Ballet RehearsalBirthplace: France, Paris
Associated periods or movements: Impressionism, Realism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Sculpture, Painting, Drawing
Edgar Degas (US: or UK: ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, French: [ilɛːʁ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ ɛdɡaʁ də... more on WikipediaFrancis Picabia
Portrait of a Couple, "M'Amenez-y"Birthplace: France, Paris
Associated periods or movements: Dada, Surrealism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Francis Picabia (French: [fʁɑ̃sis pikabja]: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22 January... more on WikipediaGustave Doré
The Creation of Light, The DelugeBirthplace: Strasbourg, France
Associated periods or movements: Romanticism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré (; French: [ɡys.tav dɔ.ʁe]; 6 January 1832 – 23 January... more on WikipediaHans Hartung
T1974- E10, T 1966–H36Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Associated periods or movements: Lyrical abstraction
Nationality: France, Germany
Art Forms: Painting
Hans Hartung (21 September 1904 – 7 December 1989) was a German-French painter, known for his... more on WikipediaHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec
At the Moulin Rouge, The HangoverBirthplace: Albi, France
Associated periods or movements: Art Nouveau, Post-Impressionism
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting, Printmaking, Drawing
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), also... more on WikipediaJacques Villon
Large Mowing Machine with Horses, Title Unknown (Musical Instruments)Birthplace: Damville, France
Associated periods or movements: Cubism, Section d'Or
Nationality: France
Art Forms: Painting
Jacques Villon (July 31, 1875 – June 9, 1963), also known as Gaston Duchamp, was a French... more on Wikipedia- Benjamin Péret (4 July 1899 – 18 September 1959) was a French poet, Parisian Dadaist and a... more on Wikipedia
Benjamin Péret
