Paul Lucien Dessau

St. James s Palace, London - Mid Century French Naif City Street Oil Painting

c.1960

Paul Lucien Dessau was a British artist and painted during WWII. His reputation was one as a fireman artist during WWII, an official War Artist, capturing the raging fires which swept through London . Dessau was the founder of the Fireman Artists Commission and between 1941 and 1944 the Fireman Artists held four large exhibitions at the Royal Academy and then went on tour around the country. He also produced illustrations for Fire and Water, a National Fire Service anthology published in 1942. After the war he moved the country with his wife, and painted for a commercial studio before opening his own design studio with his brother Bernard. He also became well know for his portrait paintings and received many lucrative commissions. He furthered his studies at the Hornsey School of Art and also the Central School of Art and Design. His paintings are found in many prominent private and public collections including the Yale Center for British Art, the London Fire Brigade Museum, the Museum of London and of course this piece in my private collection since the 1970's. Lucien was also an accomplished self taught pianist and inventor.