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)

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)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    SANTA FE, NM
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1408216354682

More From This Seller

View All
Still of Flowers in a Blue Vase Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985)
By Pierre Ambrogiani
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Still Life of Flowers in a Blue Vase"  Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985) Oil on panel Circa 1960 15 3/4 x 20 (20 1/4 x 24 1/2 frame) inches If the artists Diego Velázquez (Spai...
Category

1950s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"The Toreador" Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985) Circa 1950s
By Pierre Ambrogiani
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"The Toreador" Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985) Oil on canvas Circa 1950's  28 1/4 x 20 3/4 (31 1/4 x 23 3/4 frame) inches If the artists Diego Velázquez (Spain, 1599-1660) and...
Category

1950s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"The Lumberjacks" Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985) circa 1950s
By Pierre Ambrogiani
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"The Lumberjacks" Pierre Ambrogiani (France, 1905-1985) Oil on canvas Circa 1950's  27 x 22 1/2 (frame) inches The bright and balanced palette of this magnificent painting does noth...
Category

1950s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"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

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

"The Orchard in Spring" Camille Hilaire (1916 -2004) Circa 1960s
By Camille Hilaire
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"The Orchard in Spring"  Camille Hilaire (1916 -2004)\ Oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 15 (24 1/2 x 22 5/8) inches   This painting by Camille Hilaire with its signature greens and deconstruc...
Category

1960s Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Red on Red
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this piece, I drew inspiration from a surge of emotions and aimed to channel the vividness of life's passions. Utilizing acrylics, oil pastels, and colored pencils, I ble...
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Satin Paper, Oil Pastel

MY SUNFLOWERS
Located in Zofingen, AG
In crafting this vibrant piece, I imbued each stroke with the warmth and energy of the sun. The rich textures formed by oil pastel and colored pencil blur the lines between pop art's...
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper

Blue Tulips
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vibrant piece, I passionately layer acrylics, oil pastels, and colored pencils to capture the dynamic essence of nature's rebirth through tulips. My brush strokes breathe lif...
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Satin Paper, Oil Pastel

Two Sunflowers
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vibrant work, I've mingled the vividness of acrylics, the depth of oil pastels, and the delicacy of colored pencils to capture the essence of vitality and joy. Drawing from e...
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper

Gladiolus
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this energetic piece, I've unleashed a symphony of vibrant colors and passionate strokes to celebrate life's vivacity. Merging expressionism with a touch of pop art, I've used acr...
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper

Tulips 5
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vivid expanse of warmth and vitality, I’ve unleashed my passion through oil pastel and colored pencil, embracing expressionism, impressionism, and pop art to provoke emotion....
Category

2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper

Recently Viewed

View All