Born in 1881, André Verdilhan was a famous painter from Marseille, France. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Marseille and also took up sculpture.

Verdilhan mainly approached genre scenes of great realism, particularly transcribing the atmosphere of the city through the crowd that gravitates around the port. His compositions were always balanced, the volumes carefully underlined and his palette vivid, clear and bright.

Andre Verdilhan's talent allowed him to be quickly recognized, and he participated in numerous exhibitions such as the Salon d'Automne in 1913 or the Peintres de la Mer organized by the Ligue Navale Française in 1918 where he exhibited seven views of Marseille, Toulon and Le Havre. In 1936, he was appointed painter of the Navy department and participated in the decoration of the liner Normandie.