# Albert Besnard artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/albert-besnard/
Profile generated: 2026-08-19T21:19:17.638Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1849-06-02
- Death date: 1934-12-04
- Nationality: French
- Common media: Painting, Engraving and printmaking, Lithography, Decorative work for monuments

## Portrait

![Albert Besnard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Albert_Besnard_1913.jpg/1280px-Albert_Besnard_1913.jpg)
Agence de presse Meurisse · Public domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Besnard_1913.jpg

## About Albert Besnard

Albert Besnard (1849–1934), also catalogued as Paul-Albert Besnard, was a French painter, engraver and lithographer born and deceased in Paris. His career combined easel painting and printmaking with decorative work for Parisian monuments. He won the Prix de Rome in 1874, later directed the Villa Medici in Rome and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and was elected to both the Académie des Beaux-Arts and the Académie française. Museum and collection records show that collectors encounter him particularly through painted portraits, figure subjects and graphic works. Art UK records portraits of public figures alongside narrative works such as La Mère Malade, while MoMA, the National Gallery of Art and the British Museum maintain institutional records for him. Because the collected institution-grade sources do not consistently assign a single movement, this profile emphasizes documented roles, media and career history rather than imposing a stylistic label.

## Common works and media

Besnard appears in appraisal contexts as both a painter and a printmaker. Commonly documented works include painted portraits, figure subjects, engravings, lithographs, and other works on paper. Art UK records portraits of named public figures as well as narrative compositions, while French authority records also document his large-scale decorative activity. Appraisily's auction index uses broader categories that include paintings, works on paper and prints, mixed media, decorative art and editions. For prints, record the technique, paper, image dimensions, inscriptions, condition and edition information when present. For paintings, document the support, dimensions, signature, surface condition and known restoration before selecting comparable sales.

## Market and appraisal context

An appraisal should begin by identifying whether a work is a painting, work on paper or print and then comparing it with sales of closely related examples. Size, date, condition, restoration, signature or inscriptions, edition details and attribution can materially affect how a lot is interpreted. Provenance, exhibition history, catalogue references, subject matter and the relevance of recent comparable sales also matter. Appraisily's public artist page reports source-directory coverage of 481 records, but public auction data is incomplete and may use broad category labels; private sales and later attribution changes may not appear. Published results therefore provide context rather than a price guarantee. Direct inspection and specialist review remain important, especially for condition, authorship and print-edition questions.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist-identity research with public auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices and comparable lots when those records are available. Public results should be reviewed alongside attribution, provenance and condition evidence.

## Sources

- Bibliothèque nationale de France: https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb123333751
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q424348
- IdRef: https://www.idref.fr/03227193X
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500030831
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/533
- British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG19474
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.962.html
- Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/besnard-paul-albert-18491934
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/albert-besnard/