By Harry Harwood

André Masson, world renowned French painter, graphic artist and writer, was born in Balagny, Oise, but spent most of his youth in Brussels. Masson moved to Paris in 1912 where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, later serving in the French army. After being severely wounded from the war, Masson returned to Paris where he took part in the Surrealism Movement until seeking refuge in the U.S. in 1941.

Escaping World War II, André Masson moved to New Preston with his wife and two sons, where his works were inspired by the elemental forces of nature. Fascinated by the different landscape and climate of Litchfield County compared to Europe, André Masson’s respect for the intensity of nature is portrayed in his pieces throughout the 1940s. Even though Masson only resided in Connecticut for several years before returning to France in October of 1945, the artwork he created in New Preston influenced many emerging abstract expressionists.