WHAT MAKES A MASTER CRAFTSMAN?
- Apr 5
- 2 min read
Third-generation master wallpaper hanger and painter, Arnaud Fouassier has inherited a culture of precision and dedication to his craft that he has honed and refined throughout his career - a master craftsman whose expertise bridges centuries of tradition, artistic sensitivity, and technical perfection.
The Making of a Master Craftsman
Fouassier began his training as a Compagnon of the Tour de France – an elite training apprenticeship that took him across Europe studying art history in Paris, fresco restoration in Italy, colour classification systems and ergonomics in Scandinavia, organisation and management in Germany, and architectural techniques in Spain.
Artisans of the Future
Important to Fouassier is the Compagnon tradition of passing knowledge from one generation to the next and Fouassier regularly shares his expertise through lectures and training of the next generation of young apprentices in the art of wallpaper hanging - making them artisans of the future.
Émile Intondi and Arnaud Fouassier
Fouassier’s own training was enhanced under the tutelage of Émile Intondi, one of the most authoritative figures in historic wallpaper. Intondi, president of the the Musée du Papier Peint in Rixheim, France, is also the former head of the printing workshops at the oldest still-working wallpaper company in the world, Zuber & Cie, founded in 1797.
Zuber Panoramic Art Wallpaper
Working directly alongside Intondi on significant heritage installations, particularly of historic Zuber panoramic scenic wallpapers, Fouassier is one of a very few master craftsmen formally certified to install these exquisite papers using traditional methods - with the endorsement of both the museum and the Zuber family.
Fouassier is entrusted with artworks that are irreplaceable historic hand-printed panoramas that require the discipline of a conservator, the exactitude of an engineer, and the eye of an artist.
Custodian of the Art
The making of a master craftsman comes from a lineage of craftsmanship that very few practitioners today can claim, making Fouassier unparalleled in his field - and a passionate custodian of the art.
