ALEXIS JEAN FOURNIER

Painter, writer, lecturer, and teacher Alexis Jean Fournier has been called “the last American Barbizon painter.” He was born in Minnesota in 1865 and began his career as a decorative painter of interiors, signs, and stage scenery in Chicago. After pursuing professional studies in Minneapolis and Paris with teachers such as J.P. Laurens and B. Constant, his work was met with increasing success. He lived in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, for several years beginning in 1898, and then settled in East Aurora, New York. There he became the art director of the Roycroft Arts and Crafts community and roamed the countryside of western New York and the Cazenovia Valley, finding inspiration for his prolific landscapes. During this time, he became most noted for his spring and fall scenes. He was also active in the artists’ colonies in Woodstock, NY, and Provincetown, MA. In 1907, he returned to France to paint a series of landscapes in Barbizon. He died in 1948. His work can be found at clubs, libraries, schools, and universities throughout the United States.