Twenty-one French children's watercolour and gouache paintings from J. M. Paillard competitions.

£8,750 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

the outbreak of wwii through the eyes of children An incredible collection of children's paintings from the annual J. M. Paillard competitions in France, with this selection of twenty-one covering the outbreak of WWII. The rare group form a vivid child's eye view of life in France during the period 1938-43, remarkably more joyful than the realities of war. J. M. Paillard was a renowned French manufacturer of artist materials, producing high-quality oils, watercolours and pastels. Between 1935 and 1947 they held competitions for school children to encourage them to paint. Each year a different subject or theme was chosen, and the best were chosen for an exhibition in Paris which then go on tour around France and other European countries. In 1948, MoMA also held an exhibition of forty one entrants to the J. M. Paillard competitions. The press release for the opening states: 'The forty one watercolours in tapestry-rich colors and detail depict Paris street scenes and country landscapes, workers on farms and in cities, churches and monuments, fairs, sports, the Liberation; in short the life of France as seen by her school children'….'The Twentieth Century has been called "The Century of the Child." The child mind and its creative urge have been explored as never before. Nearly every country has recognised the advantages of encouraging children to understand and enjoy art and also to draw and paint.' The description by MoMA of tapestry-rich colours and highly detailed work aligns

• Binding: Hardcover

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