E.STACY-MARKS LTD Fine Art Dealers Est.1889
THE MARCEL DYF COLLECTION
1899-1985
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index pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e pag e
1 2&3 4&5 6&7 8&9 10&11 12&13 14&15 16&17 18&19 20&21 22&23
foreword m a r c e l d y f ’s l i f e tumiac e t l’ocean p ay s a g e va l b o n n e marguerites et iris c h a m p s d e b l e e n b r e ta g n e le champs the yellow skirt b r u m e s a b o u g i va l dahlias rouges, viole ts, cosmos ol iv i e r s, m au s an n e, pr ov e nc e r e g a t e s u r l ’e ta n g
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FOREWORD
I am very proud to present this exciting collection of paintings by Marcel Dyf. As a gallery, E. Stacy-Marks Ltd has been exhibiting and selling his work spanning two generations. My first introduction to the works of Marcel Dyf came during my school holidays when I would travel up to London with my father to meet Mr Stanley Wade, the then legendary Chairman of the Frost and Reed Group at their flagship gallery in Bond Street. My father had a long standing relationship with Mr Wade and Frost & Reed that began shortly after the last war and faded only with their respective retirements. E. Stacy-Marks Ltd had an arrangement whereby the gallery had more or less, sole exhibiting rights outside London for Montague Dawson, Sir William Russell Flint and Marcel Dyf along with the occasional Munnings which also passed through our doors. Frost & Reed continued to promote and exhibit these artists in the Capital in the wonderful surroundings of Bond Street and later, the associated “ Christopher Wade Gallery” in nearby Bruton Street. We regularly displayed Dyf ’s work in Eastbourne and specially devoted exhibitions of his work were held bi and triennially. These were occasions that were eagerly anticipated by our clients and it was not unusual to sell virtually all 25-50 paintings in these dedicated exhibitions. E. Stacy-Marks Ltd was almost certainly the largest and most successful gallery outside London dealing in the works of Marcel Dyf for some 25-or 30 years The success was brought about by two things: Marcel Dyf was a great painter who captured his subject with such spontaneity, light, colour and technique that even if one was not a lover of all things French, or even of the post-impressionist style, one could not help but be uplifted. Secondly, as a family we all loved his paintings and although he was quite prolific, with some inevitably better than others, we had an enthusiasm for the beauty of his works that was buoyed by the appreciation of our clients who came from all walks of life and professions but shared the common thread– Marcel Dyf. This collection of ten works are all paintings we have sold “ in period” in the past. We know them well, we know their provenance, their background and their condition as no other gallery can. Our knowledge of Marcel Dyf ’s work today is second to none. This collection illustrates admirably the diversity and sheer wonder of Marcel Dyf ’s imagination and I commend each and every one for it’s individual merit and quality. A.P.R Stacy-Marks.
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T H E L I F E O F M A R C E L D Y F… . . . Marcel was born Marcel Dreyfus on October 7th 1899 in Paris. His industrialist parents were originally from Alsace. Dyf ’s family lived in Paris but he spent his childhood holidays in Normandy at Ault, Deauville and Trouville. The artistic climate to which he was exposed in Paris and Normandy was crucial during his early years as innovative ideas and new thinking born with the Impressionist and Post– Impressionist movements created ever widening circles of influence in Europe. Captivated by this atmosphere, Dyf decided in his early twenties to give up his career in engineering and become an artist. He moved to Arles and remained there for thirteen years. He had little formal training in art but challenged by a new range of colour and light, landscapes and images , Dyf graduated from painter to artist. Whilst in Arles he was commissioned to paint a large triptych depicting a crowd welcoming a Pope’s procession to the city in which he included portraits of his friends– this is now in the Musee Arlaten. In about 1935 Dyf returned to Paris and for the next few years had a studio on the left bank near the Rue de Rennes. Artistic Paris was vibrant at that time and Dyf participated fully in this creative environment. However WWII and the invasion of Paris shattered this atmosphere and Dyf, like many others, headed south and entered the Resistance in Correze. Dyf ’s studio in Arles was destroyed so he went to live in St Paul de Vence. He exhibited paintings in Cannes, Nice, Paris and Strasbourg and in 1950 moved to Cannes. During the early fifties he worked in Paris during the winter and spent his summers in Cannes. In 1955 the first paintings were bought by Frost & Reed to be sold in London. This heralded the formation of a remarkable and enduring relationship between artist and gallery.
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………………...CONT I NUED The single most influential event in Dyf ’s life happened in the summer of 1954 in Cannes, where he met Claudine, the girl who was to become his wife. She was 19, thirty six years younger than Dyf and with her long fair hair, clear skin, vitality and patience, he found in her, the perfect model. They married in 1956 and bought a sixteenth century Hunting Lodge outside Paris. This was to be their main home but they returned each winter to Provence for Dyf to paint. The olive trees, the cane wind breaks and the grey-white crags of the Alpilles provided countless subjects for his paintings of Provence and his artistic and emotional attachment to the area endured throughout his life. In 1960 at Claudine’s insistence, they moved to Brittany. They came upon the Golfe du Morbihan where Dyf was immediately enchanted by its still waters, rolling fields of wheat and clusters of cottages. Dyf ’s artistic development reached full maturity during the years spent there. The three main places in France where Dyf painted, Provence, Brittany and Paris, yielded a rich harvest whose quality never diminished. His artistic legacy will be a lasting one he painted the landscape of France with an intensity of feeling that entirely matched his personality and with an enthusiasm that never waned. His art is youthful yet traditional with a wonderful use of colour and his success marks him out as a leader among the artists of contemporary France. His simple aim as an artist however, was to share his passion and understanding of the subject with his public; it is a magnanimous gesture which has been fully accomplished. Dyf died on September 16th 1985 in Bois d’Arcy.
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“ Tu m i a c e t L’ O c e a n ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1969 Private Collection
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181/2” x 22”
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“ Pa y s a g e Va l b o n n e ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1970 Private Collection
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181/2” x 22”
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“Marguerites et Iris”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1973 Private Collection
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22” x 181/2”
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“ C h a m p s d e B l e e n B r e ta g n e ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1985 Private Collection
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18” x 211/2”
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“Le Champs”
Provenance:
Private Collection
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231/2” x 283/4”
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“ Th e Ye l l o w S k i r t ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1989 Private Collection
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283/4” x 231/2”
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“ B r u m e s a B o u g i va l ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1970 Private Collection
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213/4” x 255/8”
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“ D a h l i a s R o u g e s , Vi o l e t s , C o s m o s ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1989 Private Collection
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253/4” x 211/4”
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“ O l iv i e r s, M au s an n e, P r ov e nc e �
Provenance:
Private Collection
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181/2” x 22”
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“ R e g a t e s u r L’ E ta n g ”
Provenance: E. Stacy-Marks Ltd 1968 Private Collection
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215/8” x 181/8”
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We do hope that you have enjoyed looking at the wonderful collection of paintings by the renowned French artist, Marcel Dyf.
Should you require any further information on any of the paintings please don’t hesitate to contact us: paintings@esm-ltd.co.uk Tel: 01439 771950
www.esm-ltd.co.uk
Via the web site contact page
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