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1887 - 1979
Born Le Havre of French parentage; his father was a merchant in the coffe and rubber trade. As a child, saw Pissarro working and used to sit and paint beside Dufy on the beach. Was educated in England.
Served in World War I with the French Army and later went to the front with the Royal Scots Greys where he met Winston Churchill in the trenches. They became lifelong friends and Maze encouraged him to paint. After the war, wrote 'A Frenchman in Khaki', giving an account of the period. Churchill was later to write in his foreword to the catalogue of Maze's first New York exhibition in 1939: "His great knowledge of painting and draughtsmanship have enabled him to perfect his remarkable gift. With the fewest of strokes he can create an impression at once true and beautiful. Here is no toiling seeker after preconceived effects, but a vivid and powerful interpreter to us of the forces and harmony of Nature."
After the war he was part of the Parisian art scene where his friends included Derain, Segonzac, Levy, Roussel and - in particular - Vuillard who convinced him that he would make his mark on the art world by using pastels.
Maze went on to make his home in England, but never lost contact with his native France. It has been said that England took revenge for losing Sisley to France by adopting Paul Maze.
Exhibitions Include:
His works are in many major galleries including The Tate Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, and in private collections worldwide, including that of HM The Queen Mother.