Michel Delacroix (French, 1933 -) Paris Street Scene Painting. Titled - Le Cafe Royal. Oil on canvas painting. Signed lower left, Michel Delacroix. Also signed and titled on the reverse of the canvas and dated 1999. The painting was gifted to Anthony Barone (1949-2015), a Vice President of the Montecristo Cigar Company. The painting features a Montecristo Cigar sign on the tallest building as well as the horse drawn wagon in the foreground with a Montecristo Cigar sign. Measures 22 inches high, 28 inches wide. Original frame measures 28 inches high, 34 inches wide. In fine original condition.

Michel Delacroix's charming historical scenes of Paris capture impressions of nostalgic and romantic moments. Combined with these early recollections are memories of the stories Delacroix's nanny told him about Paris before World War I.

As a child Michel discerned only the splendor... horse drawn carriages, gas-lit lamps, hot air balloons and bustling crowds - not a struggle and strife that the Parisian working class was experiencing during this time of war. Although Paris has changed over the years, Delacroix' scenes maintain a timelessness because of the naif tradition in which he paints. He imbues each image with an intimate quality as he conveys the idealism of an era past. Michel's style has been called naive because of his candidness, however, his works are created with the skill and knowledge of the well-educated artist. His skillful paint application, precise details and subtle palette are beautiful and captivating.

Michel Delacroix was born in Paris' 14th District in 1933. After studying two years at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris, Delacroix temporarily interrupted his formal education to explore the city. I walked endlessly from district to district, inspecting every corner and absorbing all the nuances accumulating an endless store of impressions to draw upon for my paintings, he says. It was during this time that Delacroix worked for Marcel Marceau and experimented with set design. Delacroix eventually returned to complete his studies, and went on to teach art. Continuing to paint and experiment with a variety of techniques, Delacroix eventually developed his signature style.

Delacroix's work has been featured in over 300 solo exhibitions in the US and many more in Europe and Asia. Delacroix has achieved awards including the Prix Public-Prix Pro Art, (Switzerland 1973) the Grand Prix des Amateurs d'Art, (Paris 1975), the Grand Prix de la Cote d'Azur, (Cannes 1976) and the Premier Prix de Sept Collines, (Rome 1976). In 1976 Delacroix received the honor of having his work purchased by the Ministry of Culture for Paris Fonds National d'Art Contemporain. Delacroix was named the Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and the Official Artist for the 1995 Special Olympics World Games.

Biography from Axelle Fine Arts Boston

Michel Delacroix was born in 1933 on the Left Bank, in the 14th Arrondissement of Paris not far from the quarter of Montparnasse. He started painting at the young age of seven just as the German Occupation of Paris began. Paris as it was during the Occupation is the Paris that appears in his paintings even today; there was a virtual absence of automobiles and street lights, the city was quiet and isolated. His cityscapes display a simpler Paris of the past, of his boyhood rather than the urban metropolis of today.

Delacroix was educated at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and spent years experimenting with several different painting styles until, at the age of 35, he began producing works in the Naif tradition, his characteristic style. He rarely works en plein air, allowing him to create his own sense of perspective that emphasizes the grandeur of the boulevards and at the same time highlights the intimacy of street corners.

Throughout the course of his career, Delacroix has been honored with numerous awards including the Grand Prix des Amateurs d'Art, Paris (1973). The Grand Pris de la Cote d'Azur, Cannes (1976) and the Premier Prix de Sept Collines, Rome (1976).

His work can be found in several public and private collections including the Fonds National d'Art Contemporain in Paris and the Musee International d'Art Naïf. Delacroix's paintings have been featured in over 300 solo exhibitions in the United States alone. He continues to exhibit abroad in Europe and Japan. In his mid seventies, Delacroix is still producing new, original paintings for his solo exhibitions worldwide.

Source: Hunter, Sam (text author). Michel Delacroix Eternal Paris. 1998 Abbeville Press, New York.

Condition is in the description