19th century French

A student at the School of Fine Arts of Lyon and a disciple of Théodule Ribot, Vollon’s interest in was soon overshadowed by his penchant for still lifes peopled by fish and shellfish, pumpkins and fruit. Any element posing a technical or artistic challenge attracted his attention and provided him a chance to render it through chromatic variations. A highly prolific and particularly gifted realist artist, Vollon was an expert in capturing light effects in his still lifes, harbour views, seascapes and depictions of fishermen.

In 1859 he moved to Paris and entered into contact with the city’s art circles, becoming close friends with Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Lucien Guitry, as well as with Alexandre Dumas Jr., who welcomed him at his home on the Normandy coast and who, together with some American tycoons such as Henry Frick and William Merritt Chase, would later become a great collector of his work. Following a period spent in Trouville, in 1863 he settled in Mers-les-Bains (Picardy), a small fishing village by the Atlantic coast, where he lived until 1882, when he passed his house over to his son and moved to Bessancourt (Île-de-France) and later to Paris.

His works are treasured by major museums in France (Paris, Lyon, Amiens, Rouen and Dieppe) and around the world (Amsterdam, London, Washington, New York, Boston…).