PIONEERS IN THE FINE ART INDUSTRY
The Lefranc Bourgeois story began in 1720 when Charles Laclef, an ancestor of
the Lefranc family, began producing colours by chance. He started to supply paints to Chardin, an artist who lived above the family shop.
Passed from father to son for almost 300 years, the Lefranc family’s passion underpins the history of the art. It took almost three centuries for it to be written by the hands
of a thousand artists under the watchful eye of the Lefranc family. The story continues today with every brushstroke and the converging of passion and science.
STORY IN COLOURS: A FRENCH EPIC
The Lefranc Bourgeois story began close to the banks of the River Seine, when Charles Laclef, an apothecary and ancestor of the Lefranc family, met Jean Siméon Chardin.
On their shelves, pigments, the food of the soul, mingled with spices. One’s passion fed the other’s as they sought out ever-more ambitious standards of quality.
From Saint-Germain to Montreuil, Grenelle and Issy-Les-Moulineaux, the French craftsmanship was passed down through the generations of the Lefranc and Bourgeois families. Today, in the Le Mans workshops, the paint is created with the same care, overseen by the watchful gaze of Marcel Lehmann Lefranc.
HERITAGE STAMPED WITH THE SEAL OF PASSION
After becoming suppliers of paint for boats moored in the harbour, the Lefranc family decided to update its logo. The anchor was a natural choice to make up part of it.
The staff of the Greek god Hermes, the caduceus, makes up the other half of the logo, symbolising peace, trade and eloquence – a legacy proudly upheld by the brand today.
Source: Guide Labreuche © Pascal Labreuche 2009
(branded design on the back of a canvas frame)
THE STORY BEHIND THE COLOURS
There is much more to a colour than a simple pigment. There are stories. That of the tube which enables it to breathe. That of the blend that created the movement. That of the collision which caused the rupture. These stories are what make every Lefranc Bourgeois colour different. That’s why they are so highly sought after.
Naples yellow has its roots in the lava flows of Mount Vesuvius.
The Neapolitans isolated the oxides and antimonies characteristic of this iconic yellow tone.
LEFRANC BOURGEOIS CELEBRATES ITS 300TH ANNIVERSARY
We celebrate 300 years of working with artists past and present; those who have helped us to shape the history of art over more than three centuries. In our first chapter on the theme of collaboration, you can discover the strong relationships we built with artists that enabled us to develop new innovations in the fine art sphere.
Outstanding archive images, competitions and tutorials: an array of surprises await you throughout the year to help you celebrate this new chapter of our story with us.
