Collection: Armand Point

Armand Point (23 March 1861 – 6 February 1932) was a French painter, engraver, and designer born in Algiers. After training in Paris, he co-founded the Salon de la Rose + Croix in 1892 alongside Joséphin Péladan. His early work followed plein-air naturalism before shifting to allegorical and mythological subjects, adopting techniques like tempera and gold leaf inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites and early Renaissance art.

Point’s later works merged medieval iconography with Symbolist themes, often using mixed media that included painting, metalwork, and enamel. "Légende Dorée" (1897) demonstrates his approach to narrative clarity and decorative linearity. His atelier, Haute-Claire, produced fine and applied arts, such as jewelry and illuminated manuscripts. Nocturnes like "Quais de Seine en nocturne" (c. 1890) use tenebrism to create a dreamlike atmosphere.

Point’s revival of tempera and gold-ground techniques aligned with the Symbolist rejection of naturalism while anticipating the craft-based modernism of the Wiener Werkstätte and Art Nouveau.

Haute-Claire’s collaborative model influenced later collectives, and his integration of decorative and fine arts reflected the Gesamtkunstwerk ideals of the early 20th century. Exhibitions at the Musée d’Orsay and Cleveland Museum of Art have placed his work within the broader medievalist revival in European modernism.