Bernard Cathelin
Bernard Cathelin (20 May 1919 – 17 April 2004) was a French painter born in Paris and a member of the School of Paris which included Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Dufy and many others including Maurice Brianchon, Cathelin's teacher at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Although he received critical acclaim as early as 1950, Cathelin was not able to live solely from his painting until 1955. Since that time Cathelin has received steadily increasing recognition and has been featured in over 50 exhibitions worldwide. Throughout his life, he maintained a deep-rooted love for his country and especially for the Drôme, where his mother came from. Famous for oil paintings and lithographs with a richness of texture and vivid colour, the three favorite themes in Cathelin's work are still life, landscapes and portraits of women. Cathelin has traveled extensively around the world. Countries such as Mexico, Russia, Japan, Italy and Spain were a source of inspiration for his creations: and ever the landscapes of the Drôme in and neighbouring Provence where he found his roots. Elected to the Legion of Honour by the French President of the Republic, François Mitterrand in 1995, the Musée de Valence dedicated him a retrospective