Simon Segal, born on October 3, 1898 in Białystok, grew up in a wealthy Jewish family. After studying engineering, he moved to Berlin in 1918 and published illustrations in the magazineSpolochiIn 1925, he arrived in France, living modestly as a librarian and worker, before meeting the art dealer Bruno Bassano in Toulon in 1926. His first exhibition in Paris in 1935 attracted the attention of the American collector Frank Altschul, who acquired all of his works on display.
During the Second World War, Segal took refuge in Aubusson. After the war, he settled in Jobourg in Normandy, a period marked by intense creativity. In 1957, he illustrated the Bible and, in 1968, the Apocalypse according to Saint John. Simon Segal died on August 2, 1969, in Arcachon, where he is buried. His friend Pierre Osenat donated some of his works to the city. The Simon Segal Museum of Modern Art, located in the chapel of the Ursuline convent in Aups, now houses 280 paintings, including 175 from the School of Paris.
