Georges Charles Robin (1903-2002) was born in Paris. He studied at École des Beaux-Arts under the master painter Paul Michel Dupuy, a noted artist whose paintings are to be found in the collection of the Musée du Louvre. Robin went on to become a well-known decorative artist, before securing a job as the scenery artist for the Charleville Theatre and the Dinan Casino.

Robin lived in the affluent suburb of Rueil Malmaison on the western outskirts of Paris throughout his life. The summer months were often spent near Morlaix in Brittany where Robin had a second home; there he would capture idyllic seascapes and charming river estuaries bathed in sunshine. However, throughout Robin’s career the Loire Valley and the Dordogne region inspired his greatest works.

Enthralled by the enchanting river valleys of rural France that flowed through the luxuriant countryside and rolling fields, Robin’s paintings perfectly capture rural French life. Recognised as one of the best, but largely undiscovered, Post-Impressionist artists of the twentieth-century, Robin’s skill and complete command of his palette set him aside from his contemporaries.

Following the en plein air practice of the Impressionist masters, in a few swift brushstrokes Robin brought life to the trees and rivers of the French countryside. Robin was a master at capturing the change in temperature and atmosphere. His restrained use of colour allowed him to capture a warm summer’s afternoon or a blanket of snow with profound skill. Combining his deft and delicate touch with vigorous, dramatic brushstrokes and palette knife work, he produced exceptional landscapes. Robin's skill in emphasising nature's basic structure and his sympathetic interpretation using pure colouring only enhances his total control of the medium of oil paint. His love of nature in all her moods inspires a fine sense of permanence in his craft and his treatment of the rustic architecture that exists in many of the towns and villages of France is unrivalled.

Robin was a member of the Salon des Artistes Français, the Salon des Paysagistes Français, and the Society of Arts, Science and Letters. He was an officer of the Académie des Beaux Arts, director of the Institute of “Instruction Publique”, and a former Professor of the Technical High School. He was highly lauded, achieving virtually every major award in French painting for his work, among which the Hors Concors stands out as one of the highest and most esteemed awards of an artist of the time.

Gladwell & Patterson’s history with this distinguished artist began after the Second World War. Herbert Fuller of Gladwell & Company, London, discovered the landscapes of George Charles Robin in the Paris Salon in 1948 and approached the artist in his studio. Being in his fifties, Robin had already established himself as one of the foremost French artists of the day. Initially the artist was represented by Galerie Haussmann and Galerie Henault, but as his popularity grew, Gladwell & Company acquired paintings directly from the artist until he became blind in 1981.

For over seventy years, Robin's interpretation of the French landscape has never ceased to appeal to our clients and as a result we are extremely confident that we have found a Master artist whose reputation will grow with the passage of time very much like the Impressionists have over the last one hundred and fifty years. Robin’s paintings were acquired by the City of Paris, the City of Clichy, as well as by the French Government during his lifetime. Robin’s work is housed in important private and museum collections around the world. Since he first set eyes on Robin’s landscapes in Paris, Herbert Fuller, and the two subsequent generations of the Fuller family of Gladwell & Patterson have continued to share the legacy of this great artist. The gallery has both an outstanding library of his work and a highly cultivated knowledge of his practice. We are currently preparing a Catalogue Raisonné of his work.

Robin’s Awards and Honours

1948, French Landscape Prize, Paris Salon.

1948, Premier Prize, Salon des Paysagistes Français.

1954, Gold Medal, Paris Salon.

1954, Selected to be a member of the Jury, Salon des Paysagistes Français.

1954, Selected to be a member of the Jury, Salon d’Hiver.

1954, Selected to be a member of the Committee of Directors, Salon d’Hiver.

1954, Gold Medal, Salon des Artistes Français.

1954, Selected to be a member of the Jury, Salon des Artistes Français.

1954, Received the Hors-Concours, Salon des Artistes Français.

1954, Silver Medal, Salon des Artistes Français.

1958, Prize of the Town of Clichy.

1958, Prize of the Town of Asnieres.

1959, Premier Award, Salon du Printemps.

1960, Premier Award, Salon Levallois.

1961, Awarded Prix Taylor, Salon des Artistes Français.

1961, Awarded Bronze Medal, Salon des Artistes Français.

1961, Awarded Silver Medal, Conseil General de la Seine.

1961, Awarded Gold Medal, Société d’Arts, Sciences et Lettres.

THE SCOTTSDALE ART WEEK COLLECTION

19th - 22nd March 2026