Paul-Léon Fréquenez (1876 - 1943)

Born in Mouzon in the Ardennes, Paul Léon Fréquenez was a French painter, watercolourist and engraver. He trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon and later at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Fernand Cormon and Julien Gustave Gagliardini. He exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1901 onwards. His talent was recognised with several awards, including a gold medal in 1924.

A keen traveller, he spent time in Indochina, from which he brought back numerous scenes imbued with light and exoticism. He also painted French gardens, parks and landscapes with great atmospheric finesse. Based in Dijon, where he taught at the École des Beaux-Arts, he completed several public commissions. His work, which lies at the crossroads of academic tradition and a post-Impressionist sensibility, is today appreciated for its delicacy and his mastery of light.