Edmond Valès Français, 1918-2001

French painter, printmaker and illustrator – a key Orientalist figure in Morocco

Born in 1918 in Pau, France, Edmond Valès studied art at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nantes and later at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. A pilot during World War II, he briefly worked at Walt Disney Studios after the war before dedicating himself fully to his own artistic career.

In 1946, he moved to Morocco to teach drawing at the Lycée Poeymirau in Meknès, where he remained until 1978. This long stay shaped his artistic identity. Valès produced a body of work inspired by the landscapes, daily life, and people of Morocco, using painting, etching, lithography, and charcoal.

His works, both restrained and expressive, reflect a deep connection to Moroccan culture and light. Regularly exhibited in Morocco and France, he became a key figure in the post-war Franco-Moroccan art scene. He returned to France in the late 1980s and passed away in 2001.