Benefiting from the advice of Émile Othon Friesz and Yves Brayer at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1940, he joined the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in 1942. His artistic precocity earned him solo exhibitions before the age of twenty at Katia Granoff and then at the Galerie Cardo.
In 1951, the Society of Art Collectors and Lovers prize was awarded to this "laureate under thirty years of age." Claude Roger-Marx then emphasized "the atmosphere of disguise that is dear to him" and "the muted earthiness that he gives to opaque backgrounds where cold grays, greens, carmines and saffrons sing with distinction."
In the 1950s, Waldemar George observed his evolution from a "realistic style that sometimes borders on populism" to an art where "portraits, landscapes, compositions, and still lifes stand out through the intense life of the material." This technical maturation did not alter his fundamental vision.
Forty years later, Gérald Schurr identifies the consistency of his universe: "a sad countryside populated by pitiful beings, halfway between drama and derision, a colorful universe saved from tragedy by a wry humor." Yvon Taillandier calls him a "painter of nostalgia," evoking a bygone era (1850-1900) through his subjects and his technique.
Based in Place Pigalle, he developed a unique style combining influences from Soutine (material effects), Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec (layout). Jacques Chirac hailed him as "one of the greatest artists in Paris" in the tradition of Utrillo, Marquet and Dufy, creator of a "timeless Paris" populated by "small trades, mechanics and grisettes".
His work explores a tragicomic universe where anonymous characters and acrobats rub shoulders, "a merchant of the marvelous" according to René Domergue, capable of tinging his funeral scenes with black humor. This expressionist vision of the human condition makes him a singular figure of the post-war School of Paris.
Retry
