Marcel Dyf (1899–1985) Paris “provençal Market” Oil On Canvas, Signed Lower Right; 44 X 55 Cm

Marcel Dyf, the pseudonym of Marcel Dreyfus, was born in Paris on October 7, 1899, and died in Bois d’Arcy on September 15, 1985^[1], and was a French painter.

Marcel Dyf was born in the 11th arrondissement of Paris on October 7, 1899, into a family of industrialists originally from Alsace, and showed an aptitude for drawing and painting from an early age. However, he completed a rigorous engineering program at Arts et Métiers.

Following a stay in Moroccofor port construction work, he was captivated by the light and the landscapes. He then decided to devote himself to painting. In 1923, he settled in the south of France, first in Arles and then in Saint-Paul-de-Vence,where he would remain for some twenty years. His body of work includes scenes of everyday life and the folklore of Arles and the Camargue. In particular, he created the murals for the town halls of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and Saint-Martin-de-Crau. During World War II, he joined the Resistance in the maquis; after the war ended, he divided his time between his studio in Paris and the South of France.

In Cannes in 1954, he married Claudine. In 1959, he settled in the Paris region in Bois d’Arcy, where he would work until his death. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, the Salon d’Automne, and the Salon des Tuileries, as well as on the French Riviera. Beginning in 1955, he was represented by the Frost and Reed Gallery in London, which continues to exhibit his works. By 1956, as his talent gained wider recognition, he made his mark on the international art scene.

Marcel Dyf died on September 15, 1985.

Flowers and women, folkloric scenes, and Provençal and Breton landscapes inspired him. Unmoved by the artistic trends of his time, he practiced a style of painting that was later influenced by Impressionism. Yvan Audouard, who knew him well, wrote: “Hewas charm personified, and that nearly did his painting a disservice. His work gave the impression of such ease that it seemed superficial, when in fact it was skillful, demanding, rigorous, and deliberate. This is what, over the years, has become increasingly clear. And we can now appreciate just how daring it was.”^{[citation needed]}

The City of Arles paid tribute to Marcel Dyf during an exhibition in 1962, and the Saint-Martin-de-Crau Ecomuseum held a retrospective of his work in 1995.