Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Gen Paul
French Expressionism "A Vase of Flowers" Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)

Circa 1960

About the Item

"A Vase of Flowers" Eugene Paul aka Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975) Oil crayon on paper 20 1/2 x 14 (28 x 21 1/2 frame) inches "Gen Paul is undoubtedly the greatest representative, and perhaps the only, expressionist of the French tradition". - Gazette Drouot, 1995 Eugene Paul, known as Gen Paul, was born in 1895 and raised in the bohemian atmosphere of Montmartre in Paris. In his life he came to know a great many of the artists, from the anonymous to the world famous, who established themselves in the neighborhood. A self-taught artist, Gen Paul began expressing himself in drawings and paintings as a child; his earliest works show a remarkable talent. He was apprenticed to a wallpaper hanger until his life was interrupted by war. He was wounded twice in World War One, and the second time he lost one of his legs. During his recovery, he turned to painting, which became his passion and his livelihood for almost 60 years. In Paris, Gen Paul exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants beginning in 1920. In 1928 he exhibited fifty paintings at Galerie Bing with Picasso, Rouault, and Soutine. He participated in collective exhibitions in London and Anvers. In 1937 he painted a large fresco for the Pavillon de Vins de France at l'Exposition Internationale de Paris. A retrospective was held at Galerie Drouant-David in 1952, and his works were shown several times at Galerie Ferrero in Geneva, Switzerland. From the late teens until about 1930, Gen Paul produced a large number of exceptionally strong, vibrant expressionist paintings. His work from this period is particularly interesting when compared to that of Chaim Soutine. While their techniques are clearly similar, Soutine's paintings seem dark, pessimistic, and distorted (by no means a flaw), while Gen Paul's are filled with a vital, positive energy and emotionalism. The work of Willem de Kooning also has many similarities to that of Gen Paul, though Gen Paul came 30 years before de Kooning and the other "action painters" of the 1950's. Gen Paul began the 1930s with a serious illness, and as he recovered his paintings reflected his growing interest in rhythmic expression. He also began employing calligraphic forms. After World War Two, Gen Paul returned to the expressionist motifs of his earlier period, which he reproduced in great quantities. Gen Paul traveled extensively, including visits to the United States. He painted subjects he knew and loved such as jazz and classical musicians, portraits, sports, and many scenes of Montmartre and other familiar environs. Gen Paul, who painted well into the 1960s, worked without promoters, agents, or regular gallery representation. When he died, there were no paintings left in his estate because everything had already been sold. Perhaps because of his disdain for the art establishment, Gen Paul's work has never approached the price levels of many of his famous peers. Many of Gen Paul's greatest works from the 1920s have remained in private collections. In preparation is A Catalog Raisonné of Gen Paul's paintings, which were completed before 1930. Retrospective exhibitions of Gen Paul's work were held at the Musée de Montmartre in 1986, at Museum Les Cordeliers for the hundred-year anniversary of his birth in 1995, and Zurich, Switzerland in 1998. He is represented in museums in Berne, and Geneva, Switzerland, and the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris. Musée de Montmartre, Paris, etc. Reference Source: askART; Papillon Gallery
  • Creator:
    Gen Paul (1895-1975, French)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1960
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Excellent condition and newly framed.
  • Gallery Location:
    SANTA FE, NM
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1408212335472
More From This SellerView All
  • "Study of a Frog Studying Various Plants" France, Early 19th century
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    "Study of a Frog Studying Various Plants" France, 19th century OIl on paper Signed 14 x 10 (18 x 14 frame) inches This well-painted composition of a frog which seems to be observin...
    Category

    Mid-19th Century French School Animal Paintings

    Materials

    Paper, Oil

  • Ben-Zion (Ukraine, 1897-1987) circa 1930's "Floral Still with White Vase"
    By Ben-Zion
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    Floral Still Life Ben-Zion (Ukraine, 1897-1987) Circa 1930's Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. 17 3/4 x 12 5/8 One of the founding artists of Abstract Expressionism, hailing from Ukraine, Ben-Zion Weinman arrived in the United States in 1920 after the end of World War l. In America, he became Ben-Zion because to drag around two names was “rather too difficult.” Ben-Zion was an accomplished, self-taught artist who worked in oils and watercolors. Additionally, Ben-Zion left behind a large body of ironwork. In 1935 he became a founding member of The Ten-a group of artists advancing the concepts of abstraction and expressionism who exhibited together until 1940-along with Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, and others. Critics immediately began taking notice with an article from the New York Sun...
    Category

    1930s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • An American Still Life of an Apple, Pear and Grapes circa 1880s
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    An American Still Life of an Apple, Pear and Grapes Oil on canvas on board Signed illegibly circa late 1800s 9 3/4 x 5 7/8 (16 x 12 3/4 frame) inches This is an example of late 19...
    Category

    Late 19th Century American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil, Board

  • "Interior with Chair and Vanity" circa 1918 by Ricardo Gomez-Gimeno (1892-1954)
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    "Interior with Chair and Vanity" circa 1918 Ricardo Gomez-Gimeno (Spain/France 1892-1954) Oil on cardboard Signed 17 1/4 x 14 1/4 (22 1/2 x 19 1/2 f...
    Category

    1910s Post-Impressionist Interior Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Cardboard

  • "Still Life of Mushrooms in Undergrowth" French circa 1830s
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    "Still Life of Mushrooms in Undergrowth" French circa 1830's-1840's Oil on canvas Illegibly initialed lower right 17 3/4 x 13 1/4 (25 1/2 x 21 frame) inches This deftly painted depi...
    Category

    Mid-19th Century Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Antique Fauvist "Still Life with Flowers and Skull" Louis Mathieu Verdilhan
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    Antique Fauvist Vanitas "Still Life with Flowers and Skull" Louis Mathieu Verdilhan (Provence, France, 1875-1928) Circa 1910 Oil on canvas on ...
    Category

    Early 1900s Fauvist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Wood, Oil

You May Also Like
  • Sweet Peas (Bunched), Mixed media on Pergameneta parchment
    By Howard Tangye
    Located in London, GB
    Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paint, Paper, Parchment Paper, Charcoal, Crayon, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel,...

  • Flowers (A Bunch), Mixed media on Pergamenata parchment
    By Howard Tangye
    Located in London, GB
    Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Paint, Paper, Parchment Paper, Charcoal, Crayon, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel,...

  • Poppies & Tulips, Mixed media on Pergamenata parchment
    By Howard Tangye
    Located in London, GB
    Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paint, Paper, Parchment Paper, Charcoal, Crayon, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel,...

  • Flowers (Helichrysum), Mixed media on ochre parchment
    By Howard Tangye
    Located in London, GB
    Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Paint, Paper, Chalk, Charcoal, Crayon, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, W...

  • Silo (Contemporary Abstract Painting, Framed)
    By Guy Lyman
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    "I have been painting seriously for somewhere around 35 years, but have only ever sold regionally - most recently, through my gallery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Through 1stDibs and other online platforms I am now (thankfully) able to reach a worldwide audience and am selling paintings...
    Category

    2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Charcoal, Oil Crayon, Acrylic, House Paint, Handmade Paper

  • Family Portrait #5 (Contemporary Abstract Painting, Framed)
    By Guy Lyman
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    "I have been painting seriously for somewhere around 35 years, but have only ever sold regionally - most recently, through my gallery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Through 1stDi...
    Category

    2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Charcoal, Oil Crayon, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Recently Viewed

View All