Busy Parisien Street Scene

Biography of Cecile de Coene ( 1917-1985, Belgian )

Cecile De Coene was the only daughter of the great Belgian painter Josef De Coene, so perhaps it was only natural that she should follow the family tradition. Her early studies were taken with her father but whilst still in her teens she received instruction from a friend of her father’s, the landscape painter Albert Saverys. It was the influence of Saverys that would dictate her artistic direction and, like her teacher; she would utilize a soft and delicate palette. She enjoyed painting still-lifes and seascapes but, more commonly, figures placed within the settings of a somewhat romanticized landscape. Impressionist in style, her works were highly regarded by the public and critics of her day and were frequently exhibited at many of Belgium’s most important art institutions. In addition, she was an exhibitor at the prestigious Salon des Printemps in Paris. In her mid-twenties she met, and shortly after married, the sculptor Albert Samain and together they were extremely active in the Belgian art community. This image of Paris can be dated to the late 1930’s and typifies her artistic approach. It came directly from the artist’s family and was signed on the reverse by the artist around 1975. Cecile De Coene died in the same town in which she was born, Kortrijk in 1985.

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