Colart, or the Colart Group, is a large international supplier of art materials, with subsidiaries and brands such as Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Lefranc & Bourgeois.[2][3] The group's head office is situated in London.

Colart Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryArt materials
Headquarters,
England
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsAcrylics, oils, watercolor, gouache, brushes, canvases, papers, inks, graphite and colored pencils, markers, charcoal
ParentLindengruppen[1]
Websitewww.colart.com

Colart was established in 1992 as a wholly-owned subsidiary for the art materials segment of AB Wilh. Becker. As such it is also a wholly-owned second-tier subsidiary of Lindéngruppen, a privately held company based in Höganäs, Sweden.[1][4]

The Colart Group has ten production facilities based in the UK, France, and China.[5]

In 2017, Colart became the main owner of Elephant Art, publisher of the art magazine Elephant.[6]

Brands and subsidiaries

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  • Beckers "A" – Original brand of AB Wilh. Becker, targeting the Scandinavian market. It comprises a series of artist quality oil paints and art supplies.[7]
  • Dekorima – Original art supplies brand of AB Wilh. Becker since 1970, also targeting the Scandinavian market.[8][9]
  • Lefranc & Bourgeois – Has a wide range of artists' paints and art supplies. Its oldest branch was established in 1720 in Paris.[10] Acquired by AB Wilh. Becker in 1982.[1]
  • Charbonnel – Specialised in products for intaglio, lithography and gilding. Founded in 1862 in Paris.[11] Acquired by Lefranc & Bourgeois in 1988.[10]
  • Snazaroo – Face paints. Established in 1989 and owned by Colart.[3]
  • Winsor & Newton – A wide range of artists' paints and art supplies. Founded in 1832 in London. Bought by AB Wilh. Becker in 1990.
  • Reeves – A wide range of paints and supplies. Established in 1766 in London. Acquired by AB Wilh. Becker in 1991.[12]
  • Liquitex – Specialised in artists' acrylic paints and supplies around that. Was originally established as Permanent Pigments Company in 1933 in Cincinnati. Acquired by Colart in 2000.
  • Conté à Paris – Specialised in pencils and crayons. Established in 1795 in Paris.[13] Bought by Colart in 2004.[14]
  • Letraset – Originally known for dry transfer lettering and associated products. Also specialised in marker pens. Founded in 1959 in London.[15] Acquired by Colart in 2012.[16]
  • Elephant Art – Publisher. Established in 2009. Colart became its main owner in May 2017.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c b. Colart – Lindéngruppen Lindéngruppen. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ Colart Warehouse Management System Central Systems & Automation Ltd. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b The brands Archived 2016-11-16 at the Wayback Machine Colart. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. ^ AB Wilh. Becker AB Wilh. Becker. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  5. ^ Colart Worldwide at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 August 2016) Colart. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b Colart teams up with Elephant Art to expand global reach Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine Colart International, 15 maj 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  7. ^ Colart Archived 2019-01-15 at the Wayback Machine Colart Scandinavia. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  8. ^ Kreatima fyller 70 år Archived 2016-08-22 at the Wayback Machine Kreatima, October 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  9. ^ Varumärke Dekorima solidinfo.se, retrieved 3 November 2016.
  10. ^ a b Notre histoire Archived 2016-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Lefranc & Bourgeois. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  11. ^ Artcraft since 1862 Charbonnel Shop. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  12. ^ Pia Gottschaller. Lucio Fontana: The Artist's Materials Getty Publications, 2012. ISBN 9781606061145 Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  13. ^ The history of "Conté à Paris" Archived 2016-07-28 at the Wayback Machine Conté à Paris. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  14. ^ Colart International. Que vive la couleur Archived 2016-11-04 at the Wayback Machine Le journal des entreprises, november 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  15. ^ About us Archived 2016-11-04 at the Wayback Machine Letraset. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  16. ^ Zoe Monk (8 juni 2012). Colart Group Acquires Letraset Craft Business. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
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