Paul Mazeartist • painterLe Havre (Frankrijk) 1887-1979 West Sussex (Groot-Brittannië)

Paul Maze grew up in an artistic environment. His father was a wealthy trader, art collector and friend of famous French painters such as Renoir, Bracque, Monet, Dufy and Pissarro. In his childhood, the last two artists taught him the principles of painting. After his schooling in England, Maze returned to France where he went to work for his father, before opting for an artist's life. Maze met Winston Churchill in World War II and became his friend and artistic mentor for the rest of his life. He lived in Paris for a long time, where he became friends with Vuillard, Derain and Bonnard, among others. Maze got married in 1950 and settled in Sussex. His - red-haired - wife Jessie became his muse, and model for the many so-called 'Jessie Pictures'.