Raymond Thibésart’s ethereal landscapes won great acclaim in the French Salons in the early twentieth century. Born in the elegant town of Bar-sur-Aube, surrounded by gently rolling hills and the champagne vineyards of the Grand Est region, the beauty of the French landscape and the artistic possibilities that it evoked made a deep impression on the young Thibésart. The family moved to Enghien-les-Bains, a northern suburb outside Paris close to Argenteuil, and it was there, upon meeting the Italian-Venezuelan pioneering Impressionist painter Emilio Boggio, seventeen years his senior, that Thibésart’s talent for drawing and painting was fostered. Thibésart continued to admire Boggio throughout his long career, and the two formed a lasting friendship. In his early twenties, Thibésart studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and later at the progressive Académie Julian under the tutorage of Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury, who introduced a strong element of symbolism into his work. In 1903, Thibesart moved to Vaux sur Seine in the countryside to the north-west of Paris, encouraged by Boggio who had moved to the area the year earlier. The two artists travelled frequently to Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, often with their fellow artist and friend Henri Martin, to find new sources of inspiration. Thibésart worked in pastel outdoors, allowing him to make rapid sketches of changing light effects and atmospheric qualities of the landscape. Within the tranquillity of his studio, Thibesart would then transfer the colours, movements and atmosphere captured in pastel onto large scale canvases whilst ensuring the spontaneity of his subject was never lost. From 1897, Thibésart was a member of the ‘Société des Artistes Français’, where he was awarded the gold medal. He also regularly exhibited at the ‘Salon d'Automne’ and the ‘Salon des Indépendants’. Thibesart exhibited his work at many of the leading galleries in Paris during his lifetime and also at the Wally Findlay Gallery, in New York and Palm Beach. After his death in 1968, six retrospective exhibitions were held at the Arte Moderno Gallery in Caracas between 1969 and 1981. Specific exhibitions are as follows: 1907, Galerie d’art Contemporain, Paris 1923, Galerie Knoedler, Paris 1913 – 1927, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris 1930, Galerie Ecalle, Paris 1937 – 1941, Galerie Romanet, Paris and Alger. 1942 – 1965, Galerie des Champs-Élysées, Paris. Gladwell & Patterson’s history with this distinguished artist began after the Second World War. Herbert Fuller of Gladwell & Company, London, first began selling the landscapes of this esteemed artist in 1954 and his beautiful French landscapes have been sold by the gallery for over fifty years.