Original French lithograph by Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018), signed EA, featuring a symbolic armored figure rendered in flowing aquamarine tones—an evocative example of mid-century European figurative surrealism.
This original lithograph depicts a dreamlike, semi-armored human figure whose identity is partially obscured beneath a visor-like helm, surrounded by sweeping, wind-driven forms. Executed in a restrained palette of aquas, blue-greens, and warm ochres, the composition evokes both medieval armor and psychological introspection, a recurring thematic tension in Saint-Génies’ work.
The figure’s elongated torso and skeletal framing suggest vulnerability beneath protection, while the swirling, almost aqueous background dissolves any fixed sense of place. Fine calligraphic linework overlays translucent tonal washes, revealing the artist’s confident control of the lithographic process. The surface displays subtle textural variations consistent with hand-worked lithographic stones and intentional tonal experimentation.
The work is hand-signed “Saint-Génies” in pencil at lower right, with “EA” (Épreuve d’Artiste / Artist’s Proof)marked at lower left. Artist’s proofs are pulled outside the numbered edition and are prized for their immediacy to the artist’s working vision. Stylistically, this piece aligns with Saint-Génies’ late 1960s–1970s period, when symbolic figurative imagery dominated his printmaking output.
French Painter, Lithographer & Illustrator
Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies was a French painter, lithographer, and illustrator born in 1925 in Val-André, Brittany, France. He received formal artistic training at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he developed a strong foundation in classical draftsmanship while engaging with the evolving visual language of postwar European art.
Early in his career, Saint-Génies worked extensively as an affichiste and commercial illustrator, producing graphic and advertising imagery for major French institutions and brands, including Lustucru, Evian, Danone, and the Loterie Nationale. From 1968 to 1974, he also served as an illustrator for Le Journal de Babar, a role that further refined his narrative clarity, compositional balance, and command of reproducible imagery. This professional background deeply informed his later fine-art practice, particularly his fluency in lithography.
By the mid-20th century, Saint-Génies increasingly devoted himself to figurative fine art, with a particular focus on portraiture and symbolic representations of the human figure, most often women. His work is characterized by refined line, restrained palettes, and poetic symbolism, frequently blending realism with surreal or dreamlike elements. Rather than depicting literal scenes, his compositions evoke psychological states—introspection, vulnerability, silence, and transformation.
Saint-Génies is especially recognized for his original lithographs, executed in limited editions and often accompanied by artist’s proofs (EA / Épreuve d’Artiste). His lithographic works display confident calligraphic linework, subtle tonal layering, and a sensitivity to movement and atmosphere—qualities that reflect both his academic training and his experience in graphic arts.
His work was exhibited and collected internationally, with gallery representation and sales across France, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Holland, and later the United States, particularly New York. While never positioned as a mass-market artist, his prints and works on paper have maintained steady demand among collectors of European postwar figurative and surrealist-influenced art.
Saint-Génies was also frequently noted in French sources as a great-grandson of composer Charles Gounod, a lineage often cited to underscore the musicality, rhythm, and harmony evident in his visual compositions.
He continued producing art well into later life and passed away in 2018, leaving behind a body of work appreciated for its technical elegance, symbolic depth, and quiet emotional resonance. Today, his lithographs are valued for their craftsmanship, their atmospheric presence, and their distinctive place within mid-20th-century French figurative art.
Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018), Untitled (Armored Figure), c.1970s, original lithograph, signed & numbered EA, 13×18 in; strong French figurative surrealism.
This certifies that the accompanying artwork is an original lithograph by Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018). The print is hand-signed in pencil and marked EA (Artist’s Proof). Medium, signature style, paper, and imagery are consistent with authenticated Saint-Génies lithographs from the 1960s–1970s. Valuation reflects current gallery and auction comparables.
Artist’s studio, France → European private collection(s) → Mitch Morse Gallery, New York, USA & Europe → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Original French lithograph by Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018), signed EA, featuring a symbolic armored figure rendered in flowing aquamarine tones—an evocative example of mid-century European figurative surrealism.
This original lithograph depicts a dreamlike, semi-armored human figure whose identity is partially obscured beneath a visor-like helm, surrounded by sweeping, wind-driven forms. Executed in a restrained palette of aquas, blue-greens, and warm ochres, the composition evokes both medieval armor and psychological introspection, a recurring thematic tension in Saint-Génies’ work.
The figure’s elongated torso and skeletal framing suggest vulnerability beneath protection, while the swirling, almost aqueous background dissolves any fixed sense of place. Fine calligraphic linework overlays translucent tonal washes, revealing the artist’s confident control of the lithographic process. The surface displays subtle textural variations consistent with hand-worked lithographic stones and intentional tonal experimentation.
The work is hand-signed “Saint-Génies” in pencil at lower right, with “EA” (Épreuve d’Artiste / Artist’s Proof)marked at lower left. Artist’s proofs are pulled outside the numbered edition and are prized for their immediacy to the artist’s working vision. Stylistically, this piece aligns with Saint-Génies’ late 1960s–1970s period, when symbolic figurative imagery dominated his printmaking output.
French Painter, Lithographer & Illustrator
Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies was a French painter, lithographer, and illustrator born in 1925 in Val-André, Brittany, France. He received formal artistic training at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he developed a strong foundation in classical draftsmanship while engaging with the evolving visual language of postwar European art.
Early in his career, Saint-Génies worked extensively as an affichiste and commercial illustrator, producing graphic and advertising imagery for major French institutions and brands, including Lustucru, Evian, Danone, and the Loterie Nationale. From 1968 to 1974, he also served as an illustrator for Le Journal de Babar, a role that further refined his narrative clarity, compositional balance, and command of reproducible imagery. This professional background deeply informed his later fine-art practice, particularly his fluency in lithography.
By the mid-20th century, Saint-Génies increasingly devoted himself to figurative fine art, with a particular focus on portraiture and symbolic representations of the human figure, most often women. His work is characterized by refined line, restrained palettes, and poetic symbolism, frequently blending realism with surreal or dreamlike elements. Rather than depicting literal scenes, his compositions evoke psychological states—introspection, vulnerability, silence, and transformation.
Saint-Génies is especially recognized for his original lithographs, executed in limited editions and often accompanied by artist’s proofs (EA / Épreuve d’Artiste). His lithographic works display confident calligraphic linework, subtle tonal layering, and a sensitivity to movement and atmosphere—qualities that reflect both his academic training and his experience in graphic arts.
His work was exhibited and collected internationally, with gallery representation and sales across France, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Holland, and later the United States, particularly New York. While never positioned as a mass-market artist, his prints and works on paper have maintained steady demand among collectors of European postwar figurative and surrealist-influenced art.
Saint-Génies was also frequently noted in French sources as a great-grandson of composer Charles Gounod, a lineage often cited to underscore the musicality, rhythm, and harmony evident in his visual compositions.
He continued producing art well into later life and passed away in 2018, leaving behind a body of work appreciated for its technical elegance, symbolic depth, and quiet emotional resonance. Today, his lithographs are valued for their craftsmanship, their atmospheric presence, and their distinctive place within mid-20th-century French figurative art.
Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018), Untitled (Armored Figure), c.1970s, original lithograph, signed & numbered EA, 13×18 in; strong French figurative surrealism.
This certifies that the accompanying artwork is an original lithograph by Francis de Lassus Saint-Génies (1925–2018). The print is hand-signed in pencil and marked EA (Artist’s Proof). Medium, signature style, paper, and imagery are consistent with authenticated Saint-Génies lithographs from the 1960s–1970s. Valuation reflects current gallery and auction comparables.
Artist’s studio, France → European private collection(s) → Mitch Morse Gallery, New York, USA & Europe → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
