Richard Mandin (French, 1909-2002), Untitled

Oil on panel, 1977, signed and dated at lower right, mounted and framed below glass.

Panel 26 x 19 in.; Frame dimensions 35 x 29 3/4 in.

Richard Mandin was born in Marseille, France, where he lived and worked for most of his life as a painter, illustrator, and accomplished musician. He began his formal training at age fifteen at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, later studying at the École du Louvre in Paris, before returning to his hometown at twenty-three. Though he worked tirelessly, Mandin exhibited infrequently and struggled financially for many years, selling paintings only sporadically. In 1946 he gained recognition exhibiting in Paris with fellow Provençal artists Pierre Ambrogiani, Antoine Ferrari, and Auguste Chabaud, leading to his selection the following year for a major New York exhibition alongside Braque, Chagall, Monet, Chabaud, and Picasso. An expressionist, Mandin favored thick, triturated paint applied in heavy layers, often blurring forms so that clouds, trees, and rocks suggest figures, horses, or other animals; his vibrant, richly colored works evoke the rhythm and emotion of the music he loved. Today, his paintings are held in museums in Marseille and across southern France and are widely collected.

Good estate condition, not examined outside the frame.