Paul Collomb French , 1921-2010

Paul Collomb (1921–2010) was a French painter and lithographer associated with the post-war figurative movement and the École de Paris. Born in Oyonnax, France, on 8 October 1921, he studied drawing in Paris before entering the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where he worked in the studio of Jean Souverbie. After the Second World War, he became part of the artistic community at La Ruche, the famous artists’ residence in Montparnasse.

In 1950, Collomb was awarded the Premier Second Grand Prix de Rome, followed by the Prix Fénéon in 1951, and went on to spend time at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid and the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam. His work is characterised by a sensitive approach to colour, light and atmosphere, with subjects including landscapes, interiors, still lifes, figures and scenes of everyday life.

Throughout his career, Collomb exhibited widely in France and internationally, participating in major Parisian salons including the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Comparaisons. His paintings, pastels, drawings, engravings and lithographs are held in numerous public collections. He died in Paris on 6 October 2010, leaving behind a significant body of work celebrated for its poetic and lyrical approach to figurative painting.