Woodcut on vélin d'Arches paper. Paper size: 15 x 10.75 inches. Excellent condition. Inscription: signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: from the folio, Vingt fables de La fontaine, 1961. Published by Éditions Jaspard Polus et Cie, Monaco; printed by Imprimerie du Compagnonnage, Paris, October, 1961, in an edition of 299. BERNARD BUFFET (1928-1999) was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor. An extremely prolific artist, he produced a varied and extensive body of work. His style was exclusively figurative and is often classified as Expressionist or "miserabilist". Buffet enjoyed worldwide popularity in the 1950s and was often compared to Pablo Picasso for his fame and talent. By the end of the 1950s, however, the public and art community turned strongly against him due to changing artistic tastes, Buffet's lavish lifestyle, and his extremely prolific output. The 21st century saw a renewed interest in his oeuvre.