Collection: Andre Renoux (1939-2002) Artist Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Andre Renoux (1939 - 2002) was a French painter, lithographer, and engraver. The paintings and lithographs of' Renoux capture the charm of Old Paris in a natural style charged with obvious affection. Andre Renoux lived and worked in Paris for more than forty years. His works mainly represent Paris but also London, Venice, New York, Boston and San Francisco; he painted the streets, the shops, the cafes, the courtyards, the old disappearing facades and the restaurant interiors. The style of Andre Renoux is compared to that of Utrillo, who too was fascinated with Paris city-scapes.

Andre Renoux was born in Oran, Algeria in 1939, but immigrated to and spent most of his life in Paris and Nice, France as a youth and got his art training there at the Beaux Arts School of Art in Nice. When he was about 25, he moved to Paris and his paintings immediately attracted the attention of collectors as well as gallery owners. In 1965 Renoux exhibited with Chagall and Moretti and has had showings with well-deserved acclaim in Rome, Switzerland, Belgium and. New York. His life and work as an artist are chronicled in the book Renoux Paints Paris.

Andre Renoux paints not the grand architectural monuments, but the more intimate landmarks of daily life, the clock in the park, a kiosk in a city square, colorful shops, out-of-the-way bistros. Renoux's colors are warm with an engaging brightness that gives off a feeling of the presence of people about to emerge on the scene. Details such as a merchants cart left immediately unattended add an awareness of the people who live on these streets. Delighting in the design elements inherent in urban life, Renoux's respect for the formal composition elements of architecture lead him to eliminate such "distractions" as automobiles or leaves on trees.

Commemorative editions of Andre Renoux depicting Paris scenes have been executed for French President Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, who presented them as gifts to many visiting dignitaries.  He is considered to be the “father” of the Paris School of Urban Realism and is commonly referred to as a peintre-poete (painter-poet) for the beauty of his images. In fact, the French Government awarded him with a major commission in honor of his unique vision of Parisian urban life. Today, Renoux is considered to be one of the artists who best captured Paris in the 20th century and his work, which has a rich legacy, will continue to endure.