Gaston Larrieu (1908 – 1983) “pond Of Soustons (landes)” Oil On Canvas, Signed Lower Right, Titled On The Back, 24 X 33 Cm

Gaston LARRIEU (Eugénie-les-Bains 1908 – St-Paul-les-Dax 1983) “Pond at Soustons (Landes)” Oil on canvas, signed lower right, titled on the reverse. H: 24 cm x W: 33 cm (unframed) H: 38 cm x W: 46 cm (framed) Beautiful wooden frame. Artist's Biography: A painter born in Eugénie-les-Bains in 1908 and died in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax in 1983, Gaston Larrieu came to painting relatively late in life. In 1938 and 1939, he attended the studio of the painter R.-M. Castaing, from Pau, a former Prix de Rome winner, then he secluded himself in Eugénie-les-Bains with his parents, devoting himself mainly to the study of drawing. It wasn't until 1950 that he began painting in oils. He was initially influenced by the Neo-Cubism of his friend André Lhote, but he distanced himself from it by 1953. It was then that art critic Max Vignon discovered his work and organized an exhibition for him in Paris, which was an immediate success. Other exhibitions followed in various galleries in the capital. Gaston Larrieu settled in Paris, but spent most of the year in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax, in the Landes region. In 1956, at the Salon des Peintres Témoins de leur Temps (Salon of Painters Witnessing Their Time), he exhibited a portrait of his friend Pierre Benoît, an academician. Later, he would illustrate Benoît's novel, "L'Oiseau de Proie" (The Bird of Prey). Galleries vied for his paintings. Faithful to the Landes region, Gaston Larrieu presented a retrospective exhibition in Dax in 1971, a culmination of thirty years of exploration in the field of pictorial expression. It was a major artistic event, reflecting a long journey through eclecticism where the Landes landscape blends with still life, portraiture, and flowers, always in the Fauvist and Modernist style, where colors are handled with fervor, and where the artist's temperament asserts itself with great confidence and vigor. Gaston Larrieu exhibited in Tokyo from 1966 to 1970, in Athens, and in Kuwait City, and won first prize in the American Society of Travel's international competition in 1970. Gaston Larrieu's work was acquired by numerous official museums, government ministries, and other administrations in France. Gaston Larrieu was a recipient of the Croix de Guerre, the Military Medal, an Officer of the Legion of Honor, a Commander of the National Order of Merit, and a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. A museum dedicated to Gaston Larrieu has just opened in Eugénie-les-Bains (April 2025). The official opening of this museum "marks a return to the source of his works," summarized Mayor Philippe Brethes, with the beautifully renovated former train station serving as its setting. The mayor noted the pride of the residents of Eugénie-les-Bains in having, in a village of fewer than 500 inhabitants, the only museum bearing the artist's name; "Much more than an exhibition space: a tribute! These vibrant paintings do not simply depict places; they reveal Gascon, Breton, and Spanish cultures..."