View of Venice lagoon by famous French painter Henry Malfroy ( 1895 Martiques - 1945).

Henry Malfroy could be the son of Charles Malfroy, with whom he is often confused. He studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and regularly exhibited at the Salons des Artistes Francais et des Independants until 1934.

Henri took over his father’s studio in Martigues. Adopting a technique close to Impressionism, he painted the coasts and ports of the Bouches-du-Rhône (Sausset les Pins, Martigues, Cassis) and the Var, but also authentic Venice seascapes and Paris street scenes and the banks of the Seine.

His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. A member of the French Resistance during the Second World War, Malfroy was arrested and died in Buchenwald concentration camp. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Liberation.

Literature: "General Artist´s Lexicon " by Thieme/Becker and Benezit. "Dictionary of painters, sculptors, decorators and etchers"(in French), Paris, 1999.

Inscription: signed lower left.

Technique: oil on wood. Luxuriousy original antique frame.

Measurements: unframed w 18 1/4" x h 32 1/8" (46,6 x 81,5 cm), w 38 5/8" x h 24 3/8" (98 x 62 cm).

Condition: in good condition.