Ramon Dilley (b.1933)

February 11, 1932 saw the birth in Madrid of Gomez Ramon y Romero, a descendant of Pizarro and Trujillo, the Spanish conquistadors who took over Peru. When the civil war broke out in 1936, Romero's family fled to France and settled in Royan. This seaside resort was currently in fashion and frequented by Paris' who's who. It was a film location often visited by painters such as Lucas, Diaz and Pablo Picasso. Due to his "Belle Epoque" background, Gomez Ramon y Romero was later baptised as "Dilley" in the sixties by Maurice Rheims. The Académie Française was where he found his vocation and it was to remain the inspirational source of his works.

Under the patronage of sculptor Paul Belmondo, Dilley gained entry to the Ecole du Louvre and was commissioned his first works, which allowed him more time to devote to personal research.

Over the years he befriended François Mauriac, author and member of the Académie Française, and also enjoyed close contact with Jean Giono, famous author, and Marcel Achard of the French Academy. In 1968 he became acquainted with Catherine Deneuve who introduced him to Claude Chabrol, cinema creator, and now a major collector of his works.

Celebrities owning paintings by Dilley include Michèle Morgan, Charles Aznavour, Guy Laroche, His Royal Highness of Iran, His Majesty of Monaco Principality, and Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing ex-President of the French Republic.

In 1988, he was awarded first prize for the best poster of the year by the minister for culture Jack Lang. The motto Dilley retained from his mentors is that "In the art world, the most difficult thing is the first sixty years." Dilley has now passed this phase.

Signature note:
The artist signs his works "Dilley".

Selected Exhibitions :
Cafe Houses and Restaurants, 1955
Galerie Romanet ( Père), Paris, rue de Seine, 1955 to 1965
Galerie Charpentier, Paris, Faubourg Saint-Honoré et Neuilly, 1955 to 1965
Salons de la Mairie de Neuilly, 1963
Galerie Guénégaud, Paris
Permanent Exhibition at the l'Atelier à Paris, 86 Boulevard Maurice Barres in Neuilly, 1965
World traveling Exhibition ( 1965-1967 ): Bangkok ( Alliance Française) - Magnetic Island en Australie Tahiti - Martinique - Puerto-Rico
Beaumanière aux Baux-de-Provence with Yves Brayer
Aubonne ( Switzerland), Galerie Chantepierre
Galerie Max Moss, Genève
Permanent Exhibition at Atelier à Paris, au 7 rue Vineuse, 1967-1968
Grands Magasins du Printemps à Paris, section " Primavera", 1967
Galerie Laborde, Paris, 1970 à 1974
Galerie Gercif, Paris
Galerie du Carrousel, Paris, 318 rue Saint-Honoré, 1976
Galerie Drouant, Paris
Galerie du Miroir in Béziers and in Montpellier
Saint-Tropez: "Foyer des Campagnes" à Gassin, Hôtel Yaca ( consecutive years), Hôtel Sube
Annecy: Hall du Théâtre
Evian: Palais des Congrès Monaco
Permanent Exhibition Atelier à Paris, 1968 to 1986
Sari Heller, Beverly Hills
Wally Findlay Galleries, 1976 to 1983 : Paris - New-York - Chicago - Palm Beach - Beverly Hills.
Versailles
Clermond-Ferrand
Galerie du Carlton, Cannes
Galerie Apesteguy, Deauville, permanent exhibition
Price for best Art Poster, Ministry of Culture, 1988
Matignon Fine Art, 1990
Galerie Mitsukushi, Paris, 1990
Galerie 127, Cannes, 1991
Galerie Delorme, Trouville-Deauville, 1991
Galerie Wattis Fine Art, Hong-Kong, 1991
Galerie Matignon Fine Art, Paris, 1992
Galerie Rami AG, Zurich, 1992
Rétrospective Dilley - Galerie Mont-fleuri, Montreux, 1992
Exhibition in Singapore by Opera Gallery, Paris, 1997

Selected Private Collections :
The Shah of Iran
Prince Rainier of Monaco
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - President of the French Republic 1974 to 1981
André Guillabert - Ambassador of Sénégal to France
Paul Mostini - Mobil Oil, France
Max Mosse - Geneva
Guy Laroche - Paris
Serge Hoffman
Claude Lelouche
Michèle Morgan
Charles Aznavour
Claude Chabrol
Stéphane Chaito - Genève
Ana Wang - Princesse Singapore

Submitted December 2010 by Chantal Suter, who holds the copyrights to the artwork of Ramon Dilley.