Georges Charles Robin French, 1903-2002

Georges Charles Robin was born in Paris. He studied at École des Beaux-Arts under the master painter Paul Michel Dupuy, a noted artist whose paintings are to be found in the collection of the Musée du Louvre. Robin went on to become a well-known decorative artist, before securing a job as the scenery artist for the Charleville Theatre and the Dinan Casino. Robin lived in the affluent suburb of Rueil Malmaison on the western outskirts of Paris throughout his life. The summer months were often spent near Morlaix in Brittany where Robin had a second home; there he would capture idyllic seascapes and charming river estuaries bathed in sunshine. However, throughout Robin’s career the Loire Valley and the Dordogne region inspired his greatest works.

Enthralled by the enchanting river valleys of rural France that flowed through the luxuriant countryside and rolling fields, Robin’s paintings perfectly capture rural French life. Recognised as one of the best, but largely undiscovered, Post-Impressionist artists of the twentieth-century, Robin’s skill and complete command of his palette set him aside from his contemporaries. Following the en plein air practice of the Impressionist masters, in a few swift brushstrokes Robin brought life to the trees and rivers of the French countryside. Robin was a master at capturing the change in temperature and atmosphere. His restrained use of colour allowed him to capture a warm summer’s afternoon or a blanket of snow with profound skill. 

Gladwell & Patterson’s history with this distinguished artist began after the Second World War. Herbert Fuller of Gladwell & Company, London, discovered the landscapes of Georges Charles Robin in the Paris Salon in 1948 and approached the artist in his studio. Being in his fifties, Robin had already established himself as one of the foremost French artists of the day. Initially the artist was represented by Galerie Haussmann and Galerie Henault, but as his popularity grew, Gladwell & Company acquired paintings directly from the artist until he became blind in 1981.