Galerie Paul Prouté

Son of the architect Louis-Hippolyte Lebas (1782–1867), Gabriel-Hippolyte Lebas studied under François-Marius Granet before making his debut at the Salon in 1836. He was awarded a third-class medal there in 1845. Between 1841 and 1842, he traveled to Italy with his friend, the sculptor James Pradier, from which he brought back numerous watercolors depicting landscapes and coastal sites, which were exhibited upon his return to France. From the 1860s onward, the artist regularly stayed along the Normandy coast, where his work evolved under the influence of Eugène Isabey and Théodore Gudin. He then devoted himself to marine painting, favoring compositions in which cliffs and atmospheric effects occupy a central place.