Large Historical Painting Of The Butte Montmartre By Géo Cim Friend Of Modigliani Modigliani And Raoul Dufy Paris Old Life

A grand portrait of an important and endearing figure of Montmartre and Parisian life at the beginning of the 20th century.
Géo Cim, also known as Georges Pilley, was born on October 16, 1883, in Saint-Germain-lès-Lure (Haute-Saône).

He spent his early youth with the local farmers, sharing their laughter and mischievous escapades.
After completing his secondary education, his father, a dentist in Lure, sent him to enroll at the dental school located on Rue de la Tour d'Auvergne in Montmartre.
On the Butte, he met the writer Albert Cim, who became his mentor, and whose pseudonym he adopted.

Raoul Dufy introduced him to Fernand Cormon's studio, where he began his artistic training.
From then on, he devoted himself to the visual arts, becoming known as "the painter of the poor."  His works, several of which were acquired by the State, are featured in museums and private collections in France and abroad.
During the Great War of 1914-1918, as an Alpine Chasseur and military dentist, he displayed exemplary conduct:
wounded three times, including very seriously at the Chemin des Dames on June 29, 1917; at the Soissons hospital, surgeon Vianney, assisted by military doctor Georges Duhamel, saved his life.
Geo Cim's greatest pride is being a child of "The Life of the Martyrs" by the eminent academician, who later obtained the red ribbon for him, serving as his sponsor for the Legion of Honor.
Geo Cim also holds three citations, one of which is an army citation signed by Philippe Pétain, the Military Medal, the Croix de Guerre with palm, the Verdun Commemorative Medal, etc.  He received the Order of Saint John of Lantran from Pope Pius X as a lieutenant of the "Young Guard" during the "Sillon" pilgrimage to Rome led by Marc Sangnier.

He associated with Amedeo Modigliani, Xavier Privas, Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, and Guillaume Apollinaire at Gill's Lapin café, a sketch of which he included in his book "Montmartre, My Old Village," which accompanies the painting.

A similar painting is reproduced in the book; it depicts a beggar holding a cart, likely a flea market vendor. This painting is in the collection of William Burlitt in London.

Our painting most likely represents a painter, writer, or poet from Montmartre, seated by the roadside.

Presented in its original solid oak frame, it comes from a regional estate.

Worldwide shipping available via Chronopost for:
France €80
Europe €190
Other countries €260