Paris was the capital of the art world for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. French painters led Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Fauvism. These are the French artists in the Art Icons collection, ordered by how widely known they are.
1.Henri Matisse
1869–1954 · French · Impressionism, DivisionismHenri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter associated with Impressionism and Divisionism. Known for Woman with a hat, The Joy of Life and The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room).
2.Claude Monet
1840–1926 · French · ImpressionismClaude Monet (1840–1926) was a French painter associated with Impressionism. Known for Impression, Sunrise, Rouen Cathedral Series and Garden at Sainte-Adresse.
3.Paul Cézanne
1839–1906 · French · Post-impressionismPaul Cézanne (1839–1906) was a French painter associated with Post-impressionism. Known for The Card Players, Les Grandes Baigneuses and Mont Sainte-Victoire.
4.Paul Gauguin
1848–1903 · French · Post-impressionism, Pont-Aven SchoolPaul Gauguin (1848–1903) was a French painter associated with Post-impressionism and Pont-Aven School. Known for Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, The Yellow Christ and When Will You Marry?.
5.Auguste Rodin
1840–1917 · French · Modern art, SymbolismAuguste Rodin (1840–1917) was a French sculptor associated with Modern art and Symbolism. Known for The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell.
6.Edgar Degas
1834–1917 · French · ImpressionismEdgar Degas (1834–1917) was a French painter associated with Impressionism. Known for L'Absinthe, The Ballet Class and Count Lepic and His Daughters.
7.Pierre-Auguste Renoir
1841–1919 · French · ImpressionismPierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) was a French painter associated with Impressionism. Known for Bal du moulin de la Galette, Luncheon of the Boating Party and The Great Bathers.
8.Édouard Manet
1832–1883 · French · ImpressionismÉdouard Manet (1832–1883) was a French painter associated with Impressionism. Known for Luncheon on the Grass, Olympia and A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.
9.Marc Chagall
1887–1985 · Belarusian-French · Expressionism, Catalan modernismMarc Chagall (1887–1985) was a Belarusian-French painter associated with Expressionism and Catalan modernism. Known for I and the Village, New Year card and White Crucifixion.
10.Wassily Kandinsky
1866–1944 · Russian / French · Expressionism, SymbolismWassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) was a Russian painter associated with Expressionism and Symbolism. Known for Composition VII, The Blue Rider and Composition VI.
11.Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1864–1901 · French · Post-impressionismHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) was a French poster artist associated with Post-impressionism. Known for At the Moulin Rouge, La Blanchisseuse and La Toilette.
12.Marcel Duchamp
1887–1968 · French · Dada, SurrealismMarcel Duchamp (1887–1968) was a French actor associated with Dada and Surrealism. Known for Fountain, Bicycle Wheel and readymades of Marcel Duchamp.
13.Camille Pissarro
1830–1903 · Danish-French · Impressionism, Neo-impressionismCamille Pissarro (1830–1903) was a Danish-French pastellist associated with Impressionism and Neo-impressionism. Known for Pont Boieldieu in Rouen, Rainy Weather, Steamboats in the Port of Rouen and Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon. Effect of Rain.
14.Georges Braque
1882–1963 · French · Cubism, FauvismGeorges Braque (1882–1963) was a French sculptor associated with Cubism and Fauvism. Known for Église Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce du Plateau d'Assy, Trees at l'Estaque and Landscape near Antwerp.
15.Henri Rousseau
1844–1910 · French · Post-impressionism, PrimitivismHenri Rousseau (1844–1910) was a French painter associated with Post-impressionism and Primitivism. Known for The Sleeping Gypsy, Tiger in a Tropical Storm and The Dream.
16.Jean Dubuffet
1901–1985 · French · Art brut, InformalismJean Dubuffet (1901–1985) was a French painter associated with Art brut and Informalism. Known for Monument with Standing Beast, Jardin d'émail and Tour aux figures.
17.William-Adolphe Bouguereau
1825–1905 · French · Academic art, Pont-Aven SchoolWilliam-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) was a French painter associated with Academic art and Pont-Aven School. Known for The Birth of Venus, Dante and Virgil in Hell and The First Mourning.
18.Odilon Redon
1840–1916 · French · SymbolismOdilon Redon (1840–1916) was a French painter associated with Symbolism. Known for The Cyclops, The Birth of Venus and The Chariot of Apollo series.
19.Robert Delaunay
1885–1941 · French · Orphism, SimultanismRobert Delaunay (1885–1941) was a French painter associated with Orphism and Simultanism. Known for Hommage to Blériot, Eiffel Tower with Trees and Rhythms.
20.André Derain
1880–1954 · French · Fauvism, CubismAndré Derain (1880–1954) was a French painter associated with Fauvism and Cubism. Known for Pont de Charing Cross, Mountains at Collioure and The Golden Age.
21.Fernand Léger
1881–1955 · French · Cubism, ModernismFernand Léger (1881–1955) was a French painter associated with Cubism and Modernism. Known for The Alarm Clock, Église Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce du Plateau d'Assy and Still Life with Candlestick.
22.Robert Doisneau
1912–1994 · FrenchRobert Doisneau (1912–1994) was a French photographer. Known for The Kiss at the Hôtel de Ville and Un Regard Oblique.
23.Yves Klein
1928–1962 · French · Nouveau réalismeYves Klein (1928–1962) was a French sculptor associated with Nouveau réalisme.
24.Raoul Dufy
1877–1953 · French · FauvismRaoul Dufy (1877–1953) was a French painter associated with Fauvism. Known for La Fée Électricité, Les Alliés and Trees in L'Estaque.
25.Sonia Delaunay
1885–1979 · French · Orphism, SimultanismSonia Delaunay (1885–1979) was a French painter associated with Orphism and Simultanism. Known for Portuguese Market, Composition Dancer and Toy box.
26.Jules Chéret
1836–1932 · French · Art NouveauJules Chéret (1836–1932) was a French painter associated with Art Nouveau. Known for Théâtrophone, Villa La Sapinère d'Évian-les-Bains and Théâtrophone (Theater phone).
