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
"The Golf" Oil on Canvas Impressionist Painting at Chiberta in Southern France
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
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
$42,612
Voiliers
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 24 x 28.5 inches Framed size: 33 x 38.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Cannes et le vieux port - Post Impressionist Oil, Landscape 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
$28,132
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
$24,443
Pourquoi partir? - Post Impressionist Still Life Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas still life in landscape circa 1980 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a view of a harbour from beyond the open green ...
Canvas, Oil
Baigneuses, Morbihan
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 21.5 x 25.5 inches Framed size: 31 x 36 inches
Canvas, Oil
Chàteauneuf-Sur-Cher
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 18.25 x 21.5 inches Framed size: 26 x 29.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, 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
Marcel Dyf “Place De la Concorde”
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Dallas, TX
Marcel Dyf French, 1899-1985 “Place de La Concorde” , 1948 Signed Dyf and dated 1948 Paris (lr) Oil on canvas Canvas: 29 x 39.75 Inches (73.6 x 99 cm) Framed: 35 x 45.25 Inches ...
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
Paris Art on a Spring Morning
Located in Soquel, CA
Paris street scene by a French street artist signed lower right. Label on verso "Angelo Ponza" Art Gallery Naples, Italy. Image, 16"H x 20"W Frame, 20"H x 24"W
Canvas, Oil
$841Sale Price|30% Off
H 18.12 in W 21.66 in
Landscape with castle oil on canvas painting
By Rafael Griera Calderón
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Frame size 78x87 cm. Rafael Griera Calderón was born incidentally in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1934. After residing in Olot from 1942 to 19...
Canvas, Oil
$5,499Sale Price|50% Off
H 24.81 in W 21.07 in
Le Jardin du Luxembourg
By Marie-Anne Nivoulies de Pierrefort
Located in London, GB
'Le Jardin du Luxembourg', oil on canvas, by Marie de Nivouliès de Pierrefort (circa 1910). Parisians are not equivocal about their park preferences. Some clearly favour the Tuileries, while others stand firmly with feet planted in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Perhaps this is analogous to residents' strongly-held preferences for either the Café Deux Magots or the Café de Flore, just down the Boulevard Saint-Germain. Back to the gardens though, I have always been captivated by the Luxembourg Gardens. It's the lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its octagonal Grand Bassin, as well as the picturesque Medici Fountain...
Canvas, Oil
$2,647Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 25.5 in D 1 in
20th French Post Impressionist Oil Busy Summer Beach Scene Many Figures & Color
By Josine Vignon
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Sur la Plage by Josine Vignon (French 1922-2022) signed lower right oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 20 x 25.5 inches Colors: Yellow gold and warm colors, red, blue and ora...
Canvas, Oil
$5,500
H 19.5 in W 27.5 in D 3 in
“Untitled (Round Hill Beach, Buzzards Bay), 1899” Dartmouth MA Impressionist
Located in Yardley, PA
A beautiful coastal painting by Massachusetts artist Joseph H. Greenwood, known for his evocative New England landscapes. This work captures the quiet charm of the Dartmouth coast ne...
Canvas, Oil
$4,500
H 29 in W 35 in D 2 in
“Impressionist Landscape, c. 1915-1920” California Forest American Impressionist
By Francis Stillwell Dixon
Located in Yardley, PA
“Impressionist Landscape, c. 1915-1920” by Francis Stillwell Dixon (American, 1879-1967). One of Dixon’s finest canvases, depicting a tranquil forest scene bathed in soft, dappled l...
Canvas, Oil
$6,000
H 15.75 in W 18.75 in D 2 in
"La Place Dutertre a Montmartre" Impressionist Paris Scene Oil Painting Framed
By Jean Salabet
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful oil on canvas painting by the French artist, Jean Salabet. Salabet was a Parisian painter known for his colorful cityscapes depicting the times of his generation. His wor...
Canvas, Oil
$139,000
H 51.19 in W 70.87 in
Afternoon Mood – Wallén’s Skagen-like Swedish Coastal Masterpiece
Located in Stockholm, SE
Gustaf Theodor Wallén (1860–1948) Swedish Afternoon Mood, c. 1886-1887 oil on canvas signed G.T.Wallén unframed 100 x 150 cm (39 ⅜ x 59 in) framed 130 x 180 cm (51 ⅛ x 70 ⅞ in) ...
Canvas, Oil
Winter Scene by the Water, 1912
Located in Stockholm, SE
This atmospheric winter painting depicts a solitary wooden building, likely a small workshop or riverside shed, situated beside a partially frozen waterway. Snow blankets the ground ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,000
H 12.5 in W 14.5 in D 1.5 in
"Parisian Cafe Scene" Romantic Impressionist Oil Painting with Figures & Flowers
By Luigi Cagliani
Located in New York, NY
A whimsical oil painting depicting a Parisian Cafe scene in Paris, France by Luigi Cagliani. As an Italian Impressionist artist Cagliani most of his works were produced in the first ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
H 24 in W 28 in D 3 in
Old House at Capistrano, Laguna Beach Figurative Landscape, CA Pioneer Artist
By Daisy A. Newell Kearns
Located in Soquel, CA
Old House at Capistrano, Laguna Beach Figurative Landscape by California Pioneer Artist Daisy A. Newell Kearns Substantial and historic mid-1930's period...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000
H 15 in W 17 in D 2 in
"Place Du Tertre " Impressionist Oil Painting with Figures in Parisian Village
Located in New York, NY
This painting is a tremendously vivid and alive street scene from Paris in the 20th Century, depicting The Place du Tertre. This square is in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. Only a few streets away from Montmartre's Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Lapin Agile...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 33.5 in W 38.5 in D 2 in
“Chemin de la Colline” Pastel Impressionist St. Tropez France Landscape Painting
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful Impressionist landscape painting of St. Tropez by French artist Marcel Dyf. The work features a path by a field leading towards a group of distant houses. Signed in the fron...
Oil, Canvas
Sold
H 34 in W 39 in
L'Eure en Normandie - 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 from the bank of the River Eure in Normandy, France, w...
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
Verger à Bois d’Arcy
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 23.75 x 28.75 inches Framed size: 31.5 x 36.5 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Brise Cotiere
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Brise Cotiere by Marcel Dyf French 1899 - 1985 Oil on canvas Canvas size: 29.25 x 36.25 inches Framed size: 37.5 x 44.75 inches Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 34 in W 29 in
La Porte du Jardin - Post Impressionist Still Life Landscape Oil by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed post impressionist still life oil on canvas circa 1940 by sought after French impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a vase filled with flowers of all colours plac...
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 24 in W 28 in
Le Petit Dejeuner - Post Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas landscape circa 1950 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a breakfast table with bread laid out and a blue vase filled ...
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
Garden Landscape, 20th Century
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Blackwater, GB
Garden Landscape, 20th Century by MARCEL DYF (1899-1985) 20th Century French impressionist garden landscape, oil on canvas by Marcel Dyf....
Oil, Canvas
Sold
H 11.5 in W 13.5 in
Sand Dunes at the Beach - Post Impressionist Oil, Sea Landscape by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A wonderful oil on canvas by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf depicting a view of the beach form the sand dunes at Les Saintes Maries de la Mer in Camargue i...
Oil, Board
Sold
H 29 in W 39 in
Old Pear Trees - French Post Impressionist Oil, Winter Landscape by Marcel Dyf
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A beautiful oil on canvas circa 1960 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts an orchard on a farm in winter. There is a white cottage with red ...
Canvas, Oil