Eugene Paul

Biography

Eugène Paul, known as Gen Paul, born July 2, 1895 in Paris and died April 30, 1975 in the same city, is a French expressionist painter, designer, engraver and lithographer.
Self-taught and a friend of Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Gen Paul is best known for his works influenced by Cubism and Expressionism, with periods of cheerful and optimistic paintings. Wounded during the First World War, he returned to painting and developed a unique style that made him a precursor of Abstract Expressionism.
He exhibited for the first time at the Salon d'Automne in 1920 and was recognized by the Legion of Honor in 1934. His works are present in private and public collections, including museums in Paris, Bern, and Granville.
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Gen Paul, born in Montmartre, initially trained to make decorative furniture before turning to painting after a war injury. His work, influenced by such diverse influences as Toulouse-Lautrec and Goya, evolved into darker works during the 1930s. After the war, he returned to his 1920s style, but without the same innovation. He illustrated Céline's novels and his works were exhibited in galleries and museums, including a retrospective in 1952.