This compelling oil on canvas was composed by the famed Spanish painter Ramon Dilley. His captivating oeuvre captures fashionable French socialites in chic settings, all in his highly distinctive Post-Impressionist style. The present work is no exception, capturing an elegant lady strolling the beaches of the fashionable city of Deauville in northwestern France. Donning a wide-brimmed hat and colorful parasol, Dilley’s bright-eyed subject gazes out towards the viewer with a smoldering gaze. Entitled Les swans l’ete au Cote de Deauville, the work highlights the grace with which Dilley imbues his feminine subjects.

The artist is celebrated for his canvases that bring together the elegant spirit of old France during the Belle Époque with a highly modern style and sensibility. Both his choice of subject matter and his technique recall the work of the famed painters Kees van Dongen and Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, particularly in his use of color and the elongation of his figures. Yet, Dilley’s works also recall a bygone age of poise and refinement that is distinctive to his output. Highly modern yet infinitely timeless, his canvasses are among the finest of their genre to be found today.

Gomez Ramon y Romero was born in Madrid in 1933; by 1936, his family fled to France in order to escape the civil war in Spain. Thereafter, he would spend most of his life in France, finding inspiration in the French avant-garde and celebrity scene. Under the patronage of the sculptor Paul Delmondo, he was admitted to the École du Louvre, where he honed his already impressive artistic skills. In the 1960s, he changed his name to “Dilley” under the advice of the art historian and auctioneer Maurice Rheims. Celebrated for its rich mixture of old-world beauty and modern fashion, Dilley’s oeuvre is highly collectible. Examples can be found in many distinguished private collections worldwide, including the collections of the Shah of Iran, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Princess Ana of Singapore and Valery Giscard d’Estaing.

Dated 1991