Skip to main content

Yvonne Canu

French, 1921-2007

French artist Yvonne Canu was transfixed by Pointillism, a technique that was pioneered in the 19th century by Georges Seurat, and devoted her career to mastering it. Over half a century after Seurat’s death, Canu gravitated towards French Postimpressionism and was pivotal in carrying Pointillism into the modern era. 

Born in Morocco, Canu studied in Paris at the École des Arts Decoratifs until the start of WWII. Following the war, she met French painter Élisée Maclet and French-Japanese artist Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita who were influential in her exploration of Impressionist art. She also studied Cubism at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière alongside prolific French artist Ossip Zadkine

Seeing Seurat’s masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte ultimately set Canu on a path to understand the complexities of his practice. She investigated Seurat’s use of complementary color and studied the work of French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul, who in the 19th century worked as the director of the famous Parisian tapestry factory, Gobelins Manufactory. In her work, she experimented with dabbing colors in such a way as to allow the viewer to perceive the greater tableau from afar.

Through this approach, Canu championed a colorful approach to water scenes including seascapes, harbors and rivers. Critics have drawn comparisons between Canu’s work and other 20th-century French artists who expanded on the innovative artistic ideas established in the 19th century.

Find original Yvonne Canu paintings and wall decorations on 1stDibs.

to
2
5
5
2
2
Yvonne Canu “Les Regates” French Pointillist Impressionist School Harbor Oil
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Atlanta, GA
Yvonne Canu (French, 1921-2008), “Les Regates”. A fine French Pointillist oil on canvas painting of sailboats in the harbor. The scene also includes...
Category

20th Century Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Yvonne Canu Original Seascape Lithograph French Pointillism Art
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Miami, FL
A stunning original seascape lithograph by listed French painter, Yvonne Canu. Truly captivating colors, magnificent "pointillism" method. Poin...
Category

20th Century French Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paper

Original Seascape Lithograph by Yvonne Canu, Pointillism Style
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Miami, FL
A stunning original seascape lithograph by listed French painter, Yvonne Canu. Truly captivating colors, magnificent "pointillism" method. Poin...
Category

20th Century French Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paper

Vue du Port, St Tropez
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasett, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right. Canvas measurement: 21" x 29" and with frame measures 30" x 39". Provenance: Purchased from Hilde Gerst Gallery in NYC in 1990, Private Collection...
Category

1980s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Oil

"Vue du Port, St Tropez" by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right. Canvas measurement: 21" x 29" and with frame measures 30" x 39". Provenance: Purchased from Hilde Gerst Gallery in NYC in 1990, Private Collectio...
Category

1980s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paint

Related Items
Original Peter Keil Framed Acrylic and Pen on Paper
By Peter Keil
Located in Wichita, KS
This painting is from signed artist Peter Keil and come framed in a black wood frame and new matte. These pieces are unusual and rare. I have another the same size that has green and...
Category

20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paint, Paper

The Painting "Ship in the port"
Located in Chorzów, PL
Dimensions: Frame: height 43.5 cm / width 49.5 cm Painting: height 30 cm / width 35 cm.
Category

1960s Danish Other Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas

The Painting "Ship in the port"
The Painting "Ship in the port"
H 16.93 in W 19.3 in D 1.97 in
Antique American Impressionist Landscape Summer Lake Pointillist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school impressionist landscape oil painting. Oil on board, circa 1900. Unsigned. Framed. Image size, 12"L x 15"H.
Category

Early 1900s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American School Pointillist Fall Landscape Lake View Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school pointillist landscape painting. Oil on board, circa 1920. Unsigned. Displayed in a period impressionist frame. Image size, 14"L x 16"H.
Category

1910s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sunrise above the sea port - Scandinavian pointillism painting - ca. 1930s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Stunning Scandinavian Impressionist painting depicting a glorious sunrise above the port of Goteborg in Sweden The artist marvellously captured the way in which the light of the ris...
Category

20th Century Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antoine Giroux Fauvist Painting - Saint Tropez - Ref 116
By Antoine Giroux
Located in Ixelles, BE
Antoine Giroux: Capturing the Vibrancy of the Mediterranean Born in Brussels in 1955, Antoine Giroux's journey to artistic expression took a unique path through the realms of music ...
Category

Late 20th Century Belgian Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Pointillist - Scandinavian Winter Landscape, 1907 by Arthur Percy
Located in Stockholm, SE
Introducing "Scandinavian Winter Landscape, 1907" a mesmerizing painting by the artist Arthur Percy Carlsson, later known as Arthur C:son Percy (1886-1976). Born in Vickleby, Öland, Percy's artistic journey was one defined by unwavering determination and exceptional talent. This landscape painting presents a winter landscape, likely set during the early spring season. The canvas portrays a vast, snow-filled meadow, blanketed in pristine white. Above, the sky comes alive in a captivating pointillist style, with hues of blue, turquoise, and yellow forming delicate, scattered dots, while small clouds grace the horizon. The scene unfolds with an enchanting backdrop of a distant forest, its trees adorned with a touch of winter's charm. Between the enchanting forest and the expansive meadow, a few humble houses...
Category

Early 1900s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Impressionist Oil on Canvas Painting by John Bevort, Harbor Scene
By Johannes Bévort
Located in Schagen, NL
This extra large painting was created by John (Johannes, Hubertus) Be´vort, from the Netherlands. It features a maritime or harbour scene and was painted with dark colors showing a rough weather scene. Seagulls complete it, together with upcoming sunshine. Signature: Right lower corner. Artist information: John Be´vort was born in 1917 in Utrecht and was a flamboyant character. During the war he rented a room in a monastery and started painting. Later he had his own rooms in the Choorstraat where he set up a studio in the catacombs. Since then he worked together with his friend and painter Peter Brouwer. He had no head...
Category

1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas

Leo Van Der Smissen, Dendermonde 1900 – 1966 Bruges, Belgian Painter, Autumn
Located in Bruges, BE
Van Der Smissen Leo Dendermonde 1900 – 1966 Bruges Belgian Painter Autumn in Bruges – Gruuthusebrug Signature: Signed bottom left Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Image size 50 x 70 cm Biography: Van der Smissen Leo was born in Dendermonde on June 20, in 1900. He lived in Bruges, and he was a Belgian painter and one of important Bruges School artists. His brother Frans Van der Smissen (1894-1964) was a sculptor. Leo was a painter of town views, sturdy of trees, landscapes, church interiors, still lifes, marines, interiors, portraits, and some nudes. He acts as a colourist, who practices sobriety. His preference, woodland scenes, a genre in which he has climbed to a solid refinement, particularly specific are the depiction of the tree trunks. His works, brushed concisely and boldly, betray a strong hand that bends the colour ranges to his will and he can adapt to all kinds of subjects. Leo studied at the Bruges Academy of Fine Arts (1913 – 1919) with master teacher and artist Flori Van Acker and won several first prizes there. He studied also at Ghent Academy of Fine Arts (1920 – 1921) with master teachers Godron and Karel Tremerie and later at Dendermonde Academy of Fine Arts (1923 – 1924). Initially strongly influenced by the style of Courtens and the Dendermonde School, under the guidance of painter Ferdinand Willaert he evolved towards to Luminism. In 1930 Leo was married and had three daughters, two children died in early age. Leo van der...
Category

Early 20th Century Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil-on-Canvas Painting 'Golf in Saint Tropez' by Robert Delval (1934-)
By Delval, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse
Located in NICE, FR
We present you with this wonderful artwork, titled 'Golf in Saint Tropez'. It is an oil painting on canvas and signed by the artist, Robert Delval (1934-). It dates back to 2007, making it a contemporary piece. The artist's playful use of colours, perspective, depth, and form in this artwork demonstrates the influence of the artistic styles of Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard, which Robert Delval saw as artistic inspirations. Robert Delval, born in 1934 in Montmartre, Paris, cultivated his artistic skills amidst the street painters of his childhood neighbourhood, drawing inspiration from books and museums. At twenty-five, he embarked on a European and American journey armed solely with brushes and notebooks. Upon returning to France, he divided his time, spending spring and summer on the Mediterranean coast and autumn and winter in Megève, selling his watercolours to passers-by, including the likes of Françoise Sagan. One of his small gouache pieces, depicting a view of the Luxembourg Garden, caught the eye of André Roussard, a Montmartre framer...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas

Stormy Sea French Oil on Canvas, Yvonne Letourneux
Located in Albignasego, IT
Letourneux Yvonne – Storm in Provence. Measures: 22cm x 33cm - unframed 34cm x 45cm - with frame. Oil on canvas - 1930s. The stormy sea, the leaden color of the water, the ...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Wood

French Impressionist Oil Impressionist Painting by Charles Feola Paris Scene
Located in Toledo, OH
Oil on canvas by Charles Feola, 1917-1994. Impressionist painting on canvas of a Paris street scene. Signed lower right. Very nice condition. Image size ...
Category

20th Century European Modern Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas

Previously Available Items
Fishing Boats In St. Tropez By Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Fishing Boats in St. Tropez Signed "CANU" on lower right boat Oil on canvas The picturesque French Riviera is presented in French Post-Impressionist ...
Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Saint Tropez au soleil couchant - Pointillist Landscape Oil by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and titled pointillist oil on cavas landscape by French painter Yvonne Canu. This stunning piece depicts boats moored at a harbour in Saint Tropez as the sun sets. There is a ...
Category

1970s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Oil, Canvas

St. Tropez
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French St. Tropez Signed "Canu" (lower right) Signed and titled "St. Tropez / y. Canu" (en verso) Oil on canvas The picturesque French Riviera is presented ...
Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

St. Tropez
St. Tropez
H 26.63 in W 30.5 in D 3 in
Douarnenez
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Douarnenez Signed "Canu" (lower right) Signed and titled "Douarnenez / y. Canu" (en verso) Oil on canvas A picturesque harbor in the French town of Douarnenez is the subject of this extraordinary oil on canvas by the French Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu. The 20th-century painter's pointillist creations are distinctly modern, rendered with painstakingly precise dots of pure color that brilliantly blend together to form a cohesive work of art. This oil exemplifies her distinctive style, which displays the influence of the Post-Impressionist icon Georges Seurat in both its technique and choice of subject - though this work displays a more vibrant color palette, it is reminiscent of Seurat's Entrance to the Port of Honfleur. Canu's use of minuscule points of pigment and bright colors results in this stunning scene full of light and motion. Born in Morocco in 1921, Yvonne Canu traveled to Paris to study at the reputable École des Arts Decoratifs. Following the First World War, she entered the circle of the French-Japanese painter...
Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

14 juillet, Montmartre (July 14, Montmartre)
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
A crowd celebrates Bastille Day in the Montmartre arrondissement of Paris in this brilliantly lit and vibrantly colored oil on canvas by the French Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu. The 20th-century painter's pointillist creations are distinctly modern, rendered with painstakingly precise dots of pure color that brilliantly blend together to form a cohesive work of art. This oil exemplifies her distinctive style, which displays the influence of the Post-Impressionist icon Georges Seurat in both its technique and choice of subject — a modern leisure scene. Canu's use of minuscule points of pigment and bright colors results in this stunning scene full of vitality and light. Born in Morocco in 1921, Yvonne Canu traveled to Paris to study at the reputable École des Arts Decoratifs. Following the First World War, she entered the circle of the French-Japanese painter...
Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Le Port de Collioure
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
The port of the southern French town of Collioure is the subject of this vibrant oil on canvas by the French Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu. The 20th-century painter's pointillist cr...
Category

20th Century Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Yvonne Canu “Village on a Hill”, Expressionist Papier-Déchiré Landscape, 1970s
By Yvonne Canu
Located in San Francisco, CA
A rare and inviting untitled papier-déchiré expressionist landscape of a small village on a gently rolling hillside by important mid-century French artist Yvonne Canu (b. 1921–2007)....
Category

1970s French Expressionist Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paper, Linen, Glass, Oak

Sailboats in Saint Tropez French Oil Painting
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Sailboats in Saint Tropez. Yvonne Canu (1921-2008) was a French painter, consider part of Neo-Impressionism, who used the techniques of pointillism in her work such as Georges Seurat...
Category

1980s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

St Tropez
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasett, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right and titled on reverse. Canvas measurement: 24" x 32". Yvonne Canu was born in 1921 in Meknes in Morocco from French parents. She started her art stu...
Category

1980s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Oil

St Tropez
St Tropez
H 32 in W 40 in D 1.5 in
"St Tropez" by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right and titled on reverse. Canvas measurement: 24" x 32". Yvonne Canu was born in 1921 in Meknes in Morocco from French parents. She started her art stu...
Category

1980s French Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paint

"St Tropez" by Yvonne Canu
"St Tropez" by Yvonne Canu
H 32 in W 40 in D 1.5 in
St Tropez
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasett, ME
33" x 41" including the frame. Oil on canvas, signed lower right and titled on reverse. Canvas measurement: 23.6" x 31.9". Yvonne Canu was born in 1921 in Meknes in Morocco from Fre...
Category

1980s Pointillist Yvonne Canu

Materials

Oil

St Tropez
St Tropez
H 23.6 in W 31.9 in D 1 in
"St Tropez" Pointillist Painting by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right and titled on reverse. Canvas measurement: 23.6" x 31.9". Yvonne Canu was born in 1921 in Meknes in Morocco from French parents. She started her ...
Category

1980s French Vintage Yvonne Canu

Materials

Paint

Yvonne Canu furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Yvonne Canu furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Yvonne Canu furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Yvonne Canu were created in the mid-century modern style in france during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Marcel Mouly, Marcel Dyf, and Roger Bezombes. Prices for Yvonne Canu furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,400 and can go as high as $19,996, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $9,700.

Creators Similar to Yvonne Canu

Recently Viewed

View All