Antoine Blanchard was born in France in a small village near the banks of the Loire. He displayed an artistic flair early in life – in an effort to promote this talent his parents sent him to Blois for drawing lessons. He continued his training in Rennes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. By 1932 he left Rennes and traveled to Paris to study. He enrolled at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts and after a few years he entered the competition for the Prix de Rome. It was in Paris that he developed a love for the city and it’s street life. His father had a successful business and upon his death, Antoine was compelled to return to his hometown and run the family business – giving him little time to paint. It wasn’t till after World War II that he retired from the business and returned to his first love – painting. He moved his family to Paris and began to paint the “City of Lights”. Like his contemporary, Edouard Cortes, he devoted his artistic career to the depiction of Paris through all its daily and seasonal changes. Whether it was l’Arc de Triomphe, la Madeleine, Café de la Paix, Notre Dame or the dozens of other historical monuments and buildings of Paris, his focus was on the daily life of Paris at the turn of the century. His work became highly sought after and collectors from around the world vied to acquired his new works. Today he is considered one of the leading exponents of the School of Paris painters. Antoine Blanchard was born in France in a small village near the banks of the Loire. He displayed an artistic flair early in life – in an effort to promote this talent his parents sent him to Blois for drawing lessons. He continued his training in Rennes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. By 1932 he left Rennes and traveled to Paris to study. He enrolled at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts and after a few years he entered the competition for the Prix de Rome. It was in Paris that he developed a love for the city and it’s street life. His father had a successful business and upon his death, Antoine was compelled to return to his hometown and run the family business – giving him little time to paint. It wasn’t till after World War II that he retired from the business and returned to his first love – painting. He moved his family to Paris and began to paint the “City of Lights”. Like his contemporary, Edouard Cortes, he devoted his artistic career to the depiction of Paris through all its daily and seasonal changes. Whether it was l’Arc de Triomphe, la Madeleine, Café de la Paix, Notre Dame or the dozens of other historical monuments and buildings of Paris, his focus was on the daily life of Paris at the turn of the century. His work became highly sought after and collectors from around the world vied to acquired his new works. Today his is considered one of the leading exponents of the School of Paris painters.