William MALHERBE (Bucharest, 1884 - Paris,1951). "Portrait of Miss Lequien." Oil on canvas signed, dated 1914 on the lower right and titled on the back. Top. Height : 152 cm - Width : 118 cm Original wooden frame carved with laurel leaves. French painter and illustrator rooted in the post-impressionist tradition, a disciple of Bonnard and Renoir, William Malherbe met with success in the 1930s by exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne and at the famous Durand-Ruel gallery. The Second World War led him to flee across the Atlantic to the United States, where he exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. His work is marked by outdoor compositions, still lifes and nudes in soft and light colours.