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.
"Les Arbres" French 20th century oil on canvas
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New York, NY
Signed lower right: Canu Provenance: Private Collection, US Yvonne Canu was influenced by the Pointillists school and very strongly so by Georges Seurat and by Sunday Afternoon on ...
Canvas, Oil
$25,063
'Barques a St. Florent Corse' . Boats at Saint Florent, Corsica. Pointillism
By Yvonne Canu
Located in St. Albans, GB
Yvonne Canu 1921 – 2008 Canvas Size: 18 x 21.5 (46 x 55cm) Outside Frame Size: 25.5 x 29" (65 x 74cm) Yvonne Canu is currently one of the most sought after contemporary pointillis...
Oil
$26,225
Repos dans un champs de coquelicots - Pointillist Landscape Oil by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed pointillist oil on panel figures in landscape by French neo-impressionist painter Yvonne Canu. This stunning piece depicts a couple resting under a parasol in a field of wildf...
Oil, Board
'La Fontaine de Neptune a Paris' - The Fountain of Neptune in Paris Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in St. Albans, GB
Yvonne Canu 1921 – 2008 Signed bottom right and signed, titled and numbered 967 on the reverse Canvas Size: 22 x 18" (55 x 46cm) Outside Frame Size: 28 x 24" (70 x 60cm) Yvonne Ca...
Oil
$52,597
La Conciergerie - Neo Impressionist Pointillist Riverscape Oil by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed pointillist oil on canvas landscape by French Neo-Impressionist painter Yvonne Canu. The work depicts a view of revellers on a boat travelling along the River Seine in Paris, ...
Canvas, Oil
Preparations for the Regattas by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Preparations for the Regattas (Préparations aux Régates) Signed "Canu" (lower right) Titled "Préparations aux Régates" (en verso) Oil on canvas A lum...
Canvas, Oil
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Paper
$2,400Sale Price|31% Off
Yvonne Canu 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...
Paper, Paint
Price Upon Request
Le Marche a Grimaud
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New York, NY
Yvonne Canu (born 1930) is a French artist renowned for her abstract and geometric painting, often focusing on the interaction between color, form, and light. She emerged in the mid-...
Oil
$4,500
H 36.5 in W 31 in D 3.5 in
"Village Provençal " Pointillistic Colorful Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
By Lucia Fortuny
Located in New York, NY
A large Mid-20th Century oil painting depicting a beautiful landscape on a sunny day of the Village Provençal in France. This piece has a strong presence with bold brushwork and heav...
Canvas, Oil
$65,756
H 22 in W 28.5 in
Dans les champs - Neo Impressionist Riverscape Oil by Leo Marie Gausson
By Léo Gausson
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and dated neo-impressionist landscape oil on canvas by French painter Leo Marie Gausson. Gausson painted this picturesque view of then fields above Triel-sur-Seine, a small to...
Canvas, Oil
$765
H 10.24 in W 13.78 in
Zevgolatio - Pointillist Oil on Canvas Modernist Greece Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful pointillist oil on canvas depicting figures waiting for a train at Zevgolatio, Greece. Exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1987. Original exhibition label on the reverse. Artist: Malcolm John Hitchcock (1929–1998) Title: Zevgolatio Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 26cm x 35cm including frame Malcolm John Hitchcock (1929–1998) was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He studied at Andover School of Art, then did “a variety of work to keep the wolf from the door,” becoming a full-time artist in mid-1980s. His main works were Pointillist railway paintings...
Oil
$1,950
H 14 in W 12 in
Modernist Mid century Swedish tram and figure scene in Fauvist colors
Located in Woodbury, CT
Acquiring a mid-20th-century Fauvist painting by Wilhelm Henning is an opportunity to own a piece of art that captures the vibrant spirit and expressive color palette of the Fauvist ...
Oil, Board
Just Swim V
By Gordon Hunt
Located in Deddington, GB
Just swim V [2022] original Acrylic on deep edge canvas Image size: H:30 cm x W:30 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:30 cm x W:30 cm x D:4cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu...
Canvas, Acrylic
$5,000
H 26 in W 29.5 in D 3.25 in
"Port de Plaisance" Pointillistic Seascape with Sailboats Oil Painting on Canvas
By Lucia Fortuny
Located in New York, NY
A large Mid-20th Century oil painting landscape depicting sail boats by the Port de Plaisance in France with homes and a tree lined path to the left. This piece has a strong presence...
Oil, Canvas
$5,500
H 99 in W 98.5 in D 0.25 in
A Figurative Pointillist Painting after Georges Seurat’s “Sunday Afternoon…”
Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer is a monumental pointillism painting, a reinterpretation of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” created a century earlier by French painter George Seurat,...
Canvas, Oil
$3,800
H 24 in W 18 in D 1 in
Early 20th Century Figurative -- The Paper Boy and His Comics
By Louise Miller Clark
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful 1940s figurative of paper boy reading the comics by Louise Miller Clark (American, 20th Century). Signed "Louise Miller" lower right. Unframed. Im...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$5,000
H 24 in W 27 in D 2 in
"Summer Day at Nice" French Beach Scene Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas
By Suzanne Demarest
Located in New York, NY
A stunning oil painting scene depicting figures by the beach in a sunny day at Nice, France done in the 20th Century. The vibrant colors and impressionistic brushwork is done with bo...
Canvas, Oil
$2,800Sale Price|43% Off
H 28 in W 38 in D 2 in
Russian/Canadian Modernist Signed Fauvist Pointillist Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage modernist landscape painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1957. Signed "Olga" verso. Displayed in a modern frame. Image size, 36"L x 26"H.
Canvas, Oil
$1,400
H 14.97 in W 19.3 in D 1.19 in
Scintillating Light: View from the Hills to the City, a winding path, Madrid
Located in Norwich, GB
A perfectly Impressionistic work with beautifully loose, almost pointillist brushstrokes, focussing on the scintillating light and the remote hilltop atmosphere. Artist Frans Hog...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Farmyard with Characters by the Sea
By Eugène Bégarat
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
EUGENE BEGARAT (Nice 1943) "Farmyard with characters" Oil on canvas signed low right Framed with wood frame Dim canvas : 65 X 54 cm Dim frame : ...
Oil
Saint-Tropez by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Saint-Tropez Signed "Canu" (lower right) Titled "Saint-Tropez" (en verso) Oil on canvas An idyllic seaside cityscape of Yvonne Canu's beloved Saint-T...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 32.5 in W 37.5 in D 1.33 in
Bélon, le port à marée basse by Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Bélon, le port à marée basse (Bélon, The Port at Low Tide) Signed "Canu" (lower right) Oil on canvas This original oil on canvas by Yvonne Canu capt...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 25.5 in W 29 in D 3 in
'Marché de Provence - A Market in Provence' Signed oil painting on canvas
By Yvonne Canu
Located in St. Albans, GB
Yvonne Canu 1921 – 2008 Signed bottom right and signed, titled and numbered 300 on the reverse Canvas Size: 21 x 25" (54 x 65cm) Outside Frame Size: 29 x 33" (74 x 85cm) Yvonne Ca...
Oil
Marseille By Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Marseille Signed "CANU" on lower left Oil on canvas The picturesque French Riviera is presented in French Post-Impressionist Yvonne Canu's signature ...
Oil, Canvas
Saint-Tropez, Le Port By Yvonne Canu
By Yvonne Canu
Located in New Orleans, LA
Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Saint-Tropez, le port Signed "CANU" (lower right) Oil on canvas The peaceful port of Saint-Tropez is captured in serene detail in this extraordinary...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 20.13 in W 25.25 in D 1.38 in
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 29 in W 37 in
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 27.5 in W 31.375 in D 2 in
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...
Canvas, Wood, Paint
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
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...
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...
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...
Canvas, Oil