The Lefranc Bourgeois oil paint collection

Lefranc Bourgeois offers two ranges of oils: Fine and Extra-Fine. Both are made with the same know-how in our factory in Le Mans, France. Each colour has its own particularity, and we invite you to discover them.

The Oil Collection

The Lefranc Bourgeois Extra-Fine Oil range

Lefranc Bourgeois Extra-Fine Oil consists of 120 colors in 20 ml and 40 ml sizes, and 7 colors in 200 ml sizes. Exceptional shades with outstanding coverage and optimal resistance to light and weathering. Formulated with high-quality raw oils, each color has a firm, consistent, non-greasy consistency. Depending on the nature of the pigments, the colors are made exclusively from linseed oil or safflower oil, ensuring optimal durability. Produced in France, its colors are vivid thanks to the choice of pigments.

SEE ALL COLOURS

An oil of unmatched quality

Lefranc Bourgeois oil is so highly sought after because it has achieved unparalleled quality. Each oil complies with strict production conditions: toxicology, light resistance, fineness of grinding, control of shade, dry extract, pH, viscosity, shine, and adhesion. They are methodically tested to ensure perfect consistency and maintain a standard of excellence.

Discover all the benefits of the oil by downloading the brochure.

Being as close as possible to the action

Oil paint as we know it today is the result of many years of experimentation, notably by the Van Eyck brothers, who found the right balance between oils, resins, and pigments. Lefranc Bourgeois has always kept this heritage alive, combining respect for tradition with innovation. A good color is not just about its composition. At Lefranc Bourgeois, each shade is designed to be as close as possible to the artist's gesture. More than just a color, it is a living material, designed to accompany every intention and every emotion.

Download the Oil brochure

The Impressionist Collection

Depuis 1720, Lefranc Bourgeois accompagne les artistes en fabriquant couleurs et matériaux qui ont marqué l’histoire de l’art. Le célèbre tube à pas de vis a notamment permis à Claude Monet de peindre en plein air et de donner naissance à l’impressionnisme.

Aujourd’hui, la gamme Huile Extra-fine s’enrichit de deux nouveaux sets, inspirés des Nymphéas, pour célébrer le centenaire de la disparition de Monet. Un set composé de 12 tubes de 20ml ainsi qu'un plus petit de 5 couleurs de 20ml. Fabriquées en France, ces couleurs d’exception offrent une forte concentration pigmentaire, une excellente tenue à la lumière et une une durabilité optimale.

Discover the collection

The power of pigment

La force colorante d'une couleur est un critère essentiel qui garantie une peinture de qualité. Elle s'évalue par son rendu dégradé avec 50% de blanc de Titane. La nouvelle gamme d'huiles fines a un pouvoir colorant très élevé, c'est pourquoi nous indiquons sur nos tubes la couleur dégradée à 50 % avec le blanc de Titane. Toutes les couleurs de cette gamme sont désormais disponibles en 200 ML. 

Pour en savoir plus téléchargez la fiche de lecture d'un tube.

Download the reading sheet for a tube

A wide range of colours

Our products are the result of close collaboration between artists and chemists, a guarantee of quality and stability in the long term and in the light.

If Lefranc Bourgeois oil is so coveted by amateurs and professionals alike, it is because it has reached an unequalled quality.

For over 300 years, Lefranc Bourgeois has worked on the formula of its oil paint to create a fine oil with powerful pigments and an ideal texture. A pioneer in the manufacture of paint, it has been used by many painters including Monet, Cézanne and Gauguin.

Today, many renowned artists such as Olivier Masmonteil and JonOne still choose our range of oil paints, perfected by the collaboration between chemists and painters.

The grinding of the colours is still carried out in the purest respect of tradition thanks to the grinding machines in the Le Mans factory. The resulting pastes are extremely fine, homogeneous and very smooth.

The range of extra-fine oil colours is more balanced and purer, the range now contains 120 colours including 8 cadmium-free references: a world innovation created by Lefranc Bourgeois in 2017, allowing an eco-responsible alternative while retaining the strength and power of cadmium.

Iconic colours

Naples Yellow

The origin of Naples yellow goes back to the second millennium BC. Used by the glassmakers and ceramists of ancient Egypt, it was gradually replaced by lead and tin yellow. At the end of the Middle Ages it was rediscovered in Europe, but it was in the 17th century that it really took off. It is prepared from a mineral found on the slopes of Vesuvius, which is where it gets its name of Naples yellow.

"I have finally found my beautiful Naples yellow, which bears no resemblance to all the other Naples yellow I used to use" Millet to Alexandre Lefranc

High quality pigments

Each oil respects strict production conditions that make it pleasant to work with and not harmful to the painter: toxicology, lightfastness, fineness of grinding, control of shade, dry extract, pH, viscosity, gloss or adhesion. The colours are methodically tested for a guaranteed standard of excellence.

Discover the 15 Hero Colours

Additives to work the material

Viscosity of the paste, dryness, transparency and rendering: beyond the colour, Lefranc Bourgeois has been innovating for 300 years to provide you with painting mediums that will facilitate the work of colour texture.

By densifying the paste, without reducing the pigment intensity, the impasto medium makes possible texture effects for a more accurate and controlled writing. The superposition of layers and the use of colours are the basis of the glazing technique.

This is made possible by other additives such as the painting medium and the Flemish medium. By increasing the brilliance of the oil, these mediums make it possible to obtain very fine glazes giving more depth, brilliance and transparency to the paint.

The matte painting medium allows you to create velvety effects but above all a great stability of the material. When there is no undercoat on a painting it acts as a painting facilitator.

Discover all our additives for oil painting