FINDLAY GALLERIES
“The immanence of all beings and things, the transcendence of suns, skies, and light; transparency and depth; a wild, untamed energy; grays shimmering with reds and violets—here, the eye listens, and the soul awakens to a happiness of rare and exquisite quality.”
Jean-Charles Medard, 1973
Few artists achieve during their lifetime the international acclaim accorded to André Hambourg. His works, represented in more than fifty museums worldwide, embody the highest traditions of French painting. Throughout his distinguished career, exhibitions in Paris, Honfleur, Brussels, London, and the United States affirmed his stature as one of the most celebrated painters of his generation.
Born in Paris in 1909, Hambourg studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where his precocious talent quickly drew recognition. Modigliani and Soutine’s dealer introduced him to Henri Bénézit, who presented Hambourg’s first important one-man show in Paris in 1928; he was only nineteen years old at the time. Encouraged by Derain, Friesz, and Kisling, Hambourg became deeply connected to the vibrant Parisian art world, developing a visual language rooted in the harmony of color, light, and movement.
Although his early travels to North Africa awakened his fascination with luminosity, it was in France that Hambourg truly defined his artistic voice. Along the beaches of Normandy, the harbors of Honfleur, and the ports of Deauville, he found endless inspiration in the rhythm of tides, the silhouettes of vessels and sailboats, and the poetry of the open sea. His marine compositions— alive with movement and atmosphere—capture the delicate
balance between the natural elements and the human spirit. Equally, his depictions of horses, whether galloping across sunlit sands or poised in pastoral calm, reveal his instinctive understanding of grace and vitality.
Hambourg’s adventurous career as a war correspondent and military painter for the French Army and Navy further shaped his vision of motion and strength. His service during the Second World War earned him not only the Croix de Guerre but also the distinctions of Laureate of the Salon de la Marine, Honorary Painter of the Army, and Official Painter of the Marine Ministry. These honors reflected both his artistic mastery and his enduring commitment to the life and landscape of France.
Findlay Galleries is proud to present this distinguished body of work, celebrating André Hambourg’s radiant legacy as one of France’s great modern masters. As the exclusive representative of Hambourg for decades, Findlay Galleries has been instrumental in preserving and advancing his vision, bringing the brilliance of his light to collectors around the world.
