Alfred Manessier was a French artist who worked in Cubism, Surrealism and ultimately was an Expressionist painter. He belonged to the School of Paris, and his early studies were under Bissiere. He also attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study architecture. During this time, he also often frequented the Louvre to copy Old Master paintings, and could also be found in the many studios of Montparnasse.

Manessier’s style in the 1930s was a merge between Surrealism and Cubism, two of the biggest artistic movements of that decade. In the 1940s, Manessier visited a monastery and his artistic style was forever changed. He became more spiritual and his new beliefs began to show up in Abstract compositions. Religious themes and Expressionist landscapes began to dominate his Abstract oeuvre.

In 1949, Manessier held his first one-man show at the Galerie Billiet Caputo in Paris. Around this time, Manessier had also expanded his artistic horizons to designing stained glass, tapestries, and also work for the theater. Like so many other Abstract artists, Manessier also created a great number of lithographs and prints. While it is not likely to find a still life or portrait in a traditional academic hand by Manessier, his Abstract style was quite varied, as he experimented often.

During his lifetime, Manessier won a number of awards, including the 1962 painting prize at the Venice Biennial. Today his paintings are housed in private and public collections worldwide, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Still wondering about a Surrealist or Cubist fusion Abstract painting hanging in your home? Contact us… it could be by Alfred Manessier.