Raymond Besse – Farm Yard – Circa 1930

Raymond Besse was a French painter. Born in Niort, Deux-Sèvres on December 26, 1899, he came to Paris in 1916, and exhibited for the first time in the Salon des Indépendants in 1923. He then continued to exhibit his works in many other exhibitions and salons, among them the Salon d'Automne. Raymond Besse's favourite subject was Paris. He loved to illustrate life in and around the capital city, especially in the northern areas of Saint-Ouen, Montmartre, Clichy and around the Saint-Martin Canal.

Raymond Besse's themes of blue-collar Paris neighborhoods, associated with gloomy snowy weather make his artworks often dark and sad and as a result disregarded by many. Those paintings give a perfect picture of the life in the suburbs of Paris during the first part of the 20th century, far from the idyllic and colourful scenes done by artists like Édouard Cortès (1882–1969), Antoine Blanchard (1910–1988) and Eugène Galien-Laloue (1854–1941).

The artist also painted many works in Normandy, villages in the Yonne area, and landscapes around Moret-sur-Loing. Raymond Besse finally moved to the Loire area at the end of his life, and he died in Candé-sur-Beuvron, Loir-et-Cher on March 5, 1969.

Sources: Dictionnaire des peintres à Montmartre, André Roussard (Editions) 1999; Wikipedia.

Artist: Raymond Besse (1899-1969)
Signed in lower right corner.
Medium: Oil on cardboard.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 27 x 33 cm. / 10 ½ x 13 in.
Frame: 31,5 x 37,5 cm. / 12 ½ x 14 ¾ in. Wood, very good condition.
Origin: France.