Art Brokerage: Raymond Espinasse was born Sept. 8, 1897, in Toulouse, France. He left his hometown in 1925 and settled in Paris. In 1928 he moved to Quimper where he traveled the coast of Brittany. He traveled and painted extensively until 1934. At the outbreak of World War II, he moved to the front in Belgium. In 1941 he was discharged as a veteran, and hired by the School of Fine Arts. Exhibitions in Paris and many provincial towns led to public appreciation. In 1945 the state purchased from him a large number of works on the occasion of his exhibition at Bruniquel. Several months a year, until the early 60s, he lived in Saint-Tropez, Hyères, Aix, Sete, Montpellier, where he painted themes that are dear to him, such as the sea, ports, dancing, nudes, and some characters from everyday life.