GASTON SEBIRE

Gaston Sebire was born August 18, 1920, in Saint-Samson Calvados. He was a painter of landscapes, seascapes, still lifes and flowers. Sebire was also an engraver, pastel artist and painter of theatre decorations. He settled in Paris in 1951 and had his first exhibition there in 1952. In 1953 he created the costumes and decorations for l’Ange Gris, with music by Debussy, for the Ballets of the marquis de Cuevas. That same year he won both the Prix de la Critique and Prix Casa Valasquez, which allowed him to spend a year and a half working in Spain.

After years of travel, he returned to Paris with a public attention that resulted in a one man show of his work. He lived and worked in Normandy and participated in numerous group exhibitions, including: Salon of Independents, Paris Salon of Tuileries, Paris Comparisons Salon since 1962, Paris Salon of French Artists since 1964, Paris. He appeared at other groupings in London with Lorjou and Clave, in Munich, Washington, Japan, and different exhibitions of the School of Paris at the Charpentier Gallery in Paris in 1953, 1954- 1956, 1958 and 1962, at the Biennial of the Jeunes au Pavilon of Marsan in 1957.

He had many solo exhibitions: 1944- Galerie Gosselin, Rouen 1952 – Galerie Visconti, Paris 1956 – Galerie Charpentier, Paris 1961 – Galerie Combes, Clermont-Ferrand 1962, 1965 and 1968 – Galerie Drouant, Paris 1964 – Musee de Rouen 1965 – Wally Findlay Gallery, New York, and Chicago 1965 and 1971 – Wally Findlay Gallery, Paris 1976 – Cultural Center, Le Mesnis-Esnard 1986 – Retrospective, Museum of Fine Art, Rouen 1991 – with Cacheux, Roger Worms Association, Ville de Montfermeil 1992 – Wally Findlay Gallery, Paris.

He received the Critic’s Prize in 1953 and in 1966 he won the Grand Prix of the Biennale of Trouville and in 1968 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Salon des Artistes Francais as well as the Medal of Honour of the Salon de la Marine. In 1975 he was made Chevalier dans l’Order National du Merite, one of France’s most coveted awards.

His paintings are in the collection of the Musee d’Art Moderne in Paris, Norwich and Rouen art museums, The University of Wisconsin and the Joe and Emily Low Art Gallery of Syracuse University.