Known for his pastoral landscapes, still-life paintings of flower bouquets, and portraits — notably of his wife, Claudine — French painter Marcel Dyf is widely regarded as one of the last of the true Impressionists. His mastery of composition and use of soft colors influenced many artists, setting the standard for 20th-century Post-Impressionism.
Dyf was born Marcel Dreyfus in 1899 in Paris. As a child, he displayed artistic talent but briefly considered a career as an engineer before becoming a professional painter at 23, influenced by the likes of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer.
In 1922, Dyf set up a studio in Arles and initially painted landscapes, capturing scenes of the surrounding countryside in oil on canvas. He produced many landscapes depicting Provence, Brittany, Normandy and locales further afield such as Venice, Morocco and Israel.
It wasn’t long before Dyf’s works caught the eye of art dealers and collectors, and he was urged to exhibit in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français, the Salon d’Automne and the Tuileries.
In 1935, he moved from Arles to Paris and, at the outbreak of World War II, joined the French Resistance. Following the war, during the 1950s, he met 19-year-old model Claudine Godat, who — despite their 36-year age difference — became his wife, muse and subject for many of his most well-known portraits. These include Claudine Songeuse, Claudine and the Red Rose and Claudine with Flowers.
Over the course of his career, Dyf created a substantial body of work — he made landscape paintings, portraits and figurative works. He also painted frescoes in the Museon Arlaten in Arles and produced decorative pieces in the town halls of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and St-Martin-de-Crau.
Following his death in 1985, Dyf’s paintings continued to be featured in numerous exhibitions. The General Council of Bouches-du-Rhône staged a retrospective of his early works in 1995. Four years later, a show that marked what would have been his 100th birthday was held at the L’Espace Dyf in Bois-d’Arcy.
Today, Dyf’s paintings and prints are highly sought by dealers and collectors of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.
Find original Marcel Dyf paintings and wall decorations on 1stDibs.
Champ de ble - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas landscape circa 1960 by French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a golden wheat field, contrasted against dark hills in the distance. Sign...
Canvas, Oil
Cannes et le vieux port - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed figures in landscape oil on canvas circa 1940 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The piece depicts people enjoying a sunny winter's day at the port ...
Canvas, Oil
"Le Bassin des Tuileries a Paris" Marcel Dyf, Impressionist Garden Fountain
By Marcel Dyf
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Dyf Le Bassin des Tuileries a Paris, 1950 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 18 x 21 1/2 inches Provenance Private Collection, Louisville, Kentucky Marcel Dyf, born Marcel Dr...
Canvas, Oil
"The Golf" Chiberta in Southern France Post-Impressionist Oil on Canvas Painting
By Marcel Dyf
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Dyf was mostly known for his effortless way to captures the times of the people. Executing most works on-site, he truly was able to absorb the energy and the day, movement of ...
Canvas, Oil
MARCEL DYF Femme à sa Toilette, Modern Oil Painting, Framed, Mid-20th Century
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
H 30.25 x W 26.75 x D 2 in. (framed) Signed lower right: “DYF” Dyf Archives ID No. 2063 Provenance Christie’s East, New York, Modern Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures, November 10, 1992, lot 60 as Nu à sa toilette. Private collection Private collection, New York (Purchased from above) This item is in our New York City warehouse and can be viewed by appointment. Marcel Dyf’s 1950 oil painting...
Oil, Canvas
$21,347
Mauldre au debut de Printemps - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas riverscape circa 1950 by French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts the Mauldre - a long river in north-central France which is an estuary fo...
Canvas, Oil
Le Moisson - Provence - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas figures in landscape circa 1950 by French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts doing a late summer harvest in Provence, France. Signature: Si...
Canvas, Oil
$42,557
Voiliers
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 24 x 28.5 inches Framed size: 32.75 x 38.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
$28,096
Cale Du Logeo
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 15 x 18.5 inches Framed size: 20 x 23 inches Signed lower left
Canvas, Oil
Claudine Oil Painting on Canvas, Post-Impressionist, Signed, Framed
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, GB
Marcel Dyf, France (1899-1985) Claudine Medium: Oil on canvas Framed size: 29.5 x 26 Inches Unframed size: 21.5 x 18 Inches Signature: Signed Provenance: Private collection, UK ...
Canvas, Oil
Un Bouqet D'Ete Dans Un Vase En Verre
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas, Canvas size: 21.75 x 18 inches Framed size: 29 x 22.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
L'Oise a Lille Adam (Ile De France)
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 18 x 21.5 inches Framed: 26.5 x 30 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
"The Gypsy" Pensive Girl Sitting in a Field Oil on Canvas Impressionist Painting
By Marcel Dyf
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Dyf was mostly known for his effortless way to captures the times of the people. Executing most works on-site, he truly was able to absorb the energy and the day, movement of ...
Canvas, Oil
Claudine in the Forest
By Marcel Dyf
Located in New York, NY
In our painting of Claudine, Dyf returns to one of his favorite genres, and with most likely his favorite model. Realized with dramatic suggestive strokes of thick paint, Claudine is...
Oil, Canvas
Marcel Dyf Leccon De Musique
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Dallas, TX
Marcel Dyf (French, 1899-1985) Leçon de musique; Music Lesson Circa 1965, Oil on canvas Dimensions: 29 x 24 inches (73.0 x 61.0 cm) Framed: 36 x 31 Inches Signed lower right: Dyf T...
Paint
Djeuner Champtre
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Sheffield, MA
Marcel Dyf French, 1899-1985 Djeuner Champtre Oil on canvas 23 ½ by 28 ¾ in. W/frame 31 ½ by 36 ¾ in. Signed lower left Marcel Dyf (Marcel Dreyfus) was born in Paris on October 7,...
Oil
Paysans devant le village - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas figures in landscape circa 1950 by French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts workers tending to a field beside a rural village. Signature: ...
Canvas, Oil
$17,500
H 38.25 in W 44.25 in D 2 in
"The Hill Pasture" 1901 by Ida Josephine Burgess, Michigan Hills Impressionist
Located in Yardley, PA
A large, sweeping Michigan summer vista by the accomplished American painter, Ida Josephine Burgess (1855-1934). Burgess gives us a high vantage point over a lush hill pasture descen...
Canvas, Oil
$4,500
H 20.5 in W 29.25 in D 1.5 in
Figures, Boats, and House - Cape May Point, NJ, Impressionist Beach Scene, 1940s
By Albert Van Nesse Greene
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Figures, Boats, and House - Cape May Point, NJ" is a Pennsylvania Beach Scene by American Impressionist painter Albert Van Nesse Greene. The ...
Oil, Canvas
Montmartre. Oil on canvas, 55x46 cm
By Merio Ameglio, 1897-1970
Located in Riga, LV
Montmartre. Oil on canvas, 55x46 cm Paris landscape with street café Merio Ameglio (1897-1970) Born in San Remo, Italy along the Mediterranean Sea, Mario Amegilo painted many scen...
Canvas, Oil
"The Pump Room Cheltenham Spa", Urban Impressionist Scene
Located in Austin, TX
This impressionist urban landscape by Anthony Klitz depicts the Pump Room Spa in Cheltenham, England in his characteristically unique impressionist style...
Canvas, Oil
$396Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.69 in W 27.37 in D 1.97 in
French school Luminous Canal Scene in Bruges landscape oil painting Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
➡️ Landscape Luminous Canal in Bruges (Belgium) ⬅️ ⏩It is signed (not easy to decypher)⏪ ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on canvas ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$207Sale Price|20% Off
H 7.68 in W 9.57 in D 0.4 in
French school Landscape Church Mamers oil painting Signed 1903
Located in Zofingen, AG
➡️ Landscape Woodland and waterfall⬅️ ⏩It is signed Rohlfs 1903⏪ ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on canvas ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐19.5x24.3cm /7.7x9.6 inc...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$950
H 14.75 in W 26.75 in D 2 in
A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph Pen. A sensuous, intimate studio depiction of a sleeping nude femal...
Canvas, Oil
$2,100
H 38.59 in W 35.63 in
Vibrant Impressionist Landscape: Cypresses and Stream
Located in New York, NY
This captivating oil painting by Argentine Impressionist master Adán Pedemonte, beautifully captures the serene essence of a sun-drenched rural landscape. The artwork showcases Pedem...
Canvas, Oil
$6,000
H 52.5 in W 40.5 in D 1.5 in
"Modernist Nude" Mid Century Bold Colorful Abstract Nude Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the 1950s by Russian, American painter Helen Stein. Mostly known for her abstract figures on canvas, this piece...
Canvas, Oil
$2,952
H 31.89 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
"The Naked Soil", Sweeping Ochre Farmland Impressionist Oil Painting on Canvas
By Yves Calméjane
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
A deep ochre warmth spreads across this generously scaled oil on canvas, measuring H 31.9 in x W 39.4 in x D 0.8 in, pulling the eye across an undulating rural landscape that breathe...
Canvas, Oil
$3,130
H 13.19 in W 20.28 in
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...
Canvas, Oil
$1,494
H 18.9 in W 22.45 in D 1.58 in
"Puy d'Aoust", Impressionist Hilly Landscape Oil Painting
By Yves Calméjane
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This artwork is a unique masterpiece. Isn't it amazing how that few a number of strokes can depict reality with such accuracy ? A single stroke is more than enough for Yves Calmeja...
Canvas, Oil
Periode De Recolte
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas, Canvas size: 23.5 x 28.75 inches Framed size: 32.25 x 37.25 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Pleine Floraison
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 28.75 x 23.75 inches Framed size: 37 x 32 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Nature Morte
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 28.75 x 23.75 inches Framed size: 36 x 32 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Still Life
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on Canvas Canvas Size: 21.75 x 18 inches Framed Size: 28 x 25.5 inches Signed Lower Right
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 34 in W 39 in
Amandiers en fleurs - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas landscape circa 1960 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a view of farmland with almond trees in bloom. Signature: Si...
Canvas, Oil
Claudine Reading
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 18 x 21.5 inches Framed size: 26 x 29.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 32 in W 37 in
Le champ de coquelicots - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting - Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas figures in landscape by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts workers picking flowers in a poppy field in St Paul de Vence,...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 32 in W 37 in
Claudine à la capeline - Post Impressionist Portrait Oil Painting by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas portrait by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a painting of Claudine seated at a table upon which are a ceramic vase filled with flowers, a basket of fruit a green wine glass and a crumpled napkin. Claudine is wearing red skirt with a white blouse over which her long red hair...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 26 in W 30 in
Lavoir sur la rivière - Impressionist Oil, Figures in Riverscape by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Beautiful signed oil on canvas riverscape circa 1969 by sought after French impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts two women in a wash house, cleaning clothes in the tree...
Canvas, Oil
Marcel Dyf Young Woman Reading
By Marcel Dyf
Located in San Francisco, CA
Marcel Dyf: 1899-1985. Well listed French painter. Some consider him the last of the great French Impressionists. He has had auction results over $60,000 and has sold for more in gal...
Oil
Sold
H 27.5 in W 23.5 in
Le Salon Rouge - Post Impressionist Oil, Figure in Interior by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A wonderful oil on canvas circa 1950 by French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a beautiful brunette woman wearing black and red skirt...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 23 in W 26 in
Marche aux Fleurs - Post Impressionist Oil, Figures in Landscape by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A charming oil on canvas circa 1960 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf depicting women at a flower market in Arles, France. The stalls are shaded by the lon...
Canvas, Oil