Claude-Marie Dubufe (1790-1864)

Born in Paris in 1790, Claude-Marie Dubufe began his apprenticeship in Jacques-Louis David's studio in 1804, although his father originally intended him for a diplomatic career.

His first shipment to the Salon in 1810 is "A Roman starves himself and his family to death, rather than touch a deposit of money entrusted to him" (location unknown). This painting was not noticed by the critics, so Claude-Marie decided to go to Italy to complete his training.

He returned to the Salon in 1812 with a large mythological scene, «Achilles taking under his protection Iphigénie, which his father Agamemnon wanted to sacrifice» (unknown location) and two portraits of women, the genre that will be the source of his success.

Odoardo Borrani | Macchiaioli painter

Odoardo Borrani (22 August 1833 - 14 September 1905) was an Italian painter associated with the Macchiaioli group.

He was born in Pisa. The Borrani family moved to Florence, where Odoardo enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1853.

There, he studied under Gaetano Bianchi, Giuseppe Bezzuoli and Enrico Pollastrini. However, he became independent of the academic styles.

His first painting while at the Academy was titled Un veglione di maschere alla Pergola.

In 1859, he painted Lorenzo the Magnificent Saves Himself From Being Murdered in the Sacristy of the Cathedral, an episode of the Pazzi Conspiracy.

Édouard Bisson | Academic /Genre painter

Fanciful ideas and flowing line characterize Édouard Bisson's (1895-1939) studies of graceful feminine types. Distinguished by a certain charm, they agree with Delacroix that the first quality in a picture is to be a delight for the eyes.

Born in Paris in 1856, Édouard Bisson studied art under one of the most successful of French artists, Jean Leon Gerome.

He exhibited regularly at the Salon of French Artists of which he was a member.

He was awarded Honorable Mentions in 1881 and 1889, a Third Class Medal in 1897, and a Bronze Medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900.

Karen Offutt, 1967 | Impressionist Figurative painter

Karen Offutt was born and raised in Dallas, Texas by a creative family who encouraged her to explore her artistic talent from an early age. Her father is an artist and her mother is a designer and owner of a needlepoint company.

Throughout her formative years, Karen excelled in art classes and participated in several art exhibits. She studied at North Texas State University in search of a more formal fine arts education. As a young adult she sought a more serious outlet for her talent.

The turning point in her career came when she made the decision to study abroad and committed herself to becoming a fine artist.

Olivier Massebeuf, 1963 | Figurative painter

Olivier Massebeuf was born in Lyon, attended the Paris Beaux Arts Academy in the 1980’s and took pleasure in studying the work of graphic artists such as Hugo Pratt and Jacques Tardi but did not feel inclined to devote himself entirely to painting as a way of life.

In those days, he made a few acrylic paintings in black and white.

Between 1983-1987 he concentrated on his British studies but continued to draw and to indulge his fascination with the comic strip as an art form. With his sister Pascale he carried out a project called "Rosa". This involved the writing of a story which inspired the accompanying illustrative cartoon.