An extra large classic French impressionist turn of the century oil on canvas portrait of the artist Georges Villa painted in the  early 1900's.  A painting with presence!  This wonderful self portrait is absolutely stunning, a real centre piece.
Size including frame: 25.5ins x 30.5ins or 65cms x 77cms approx.
Signed: No, attributed to Georges Villa (1883-1965) , draughtsman, caricaturist, painter, lithographer and illustrator.  He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.  He was a student of Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français where he received a Bronze and Silver Medal.  He also exhibited at the Salon de Nancy. An excellent portraitist, he was invited to Russia by Grand Duke Vladimir, uncle of Tsar Nicholas II, to paint portraits of officers. In 1908 he accompanied a Russian archaeological mission to Egypt.
He began his career as an illustrator with mainly humorous drawings and two favorite subjects: aviation and fencing. He illustrated  Penguin Island  by Anatole France in 1922,  Captain Fracasse  by Théophile Gautier in 1935,  Fantastic Tales  by Edgar Allan Poe in 1938, and  Aphrodite  by Pierre Louÿs.
Georges Villa was a key player in Montmartre during the roaring twenties, known for his caricatures and portraits, as well as for his erotic drawings, whose realism was enhanced by the use of charcoal and pastel. 
A Knight of the Legion of Honour, he is also the author of a novel,  Infirmerie spéciale , published in 1953.
Condition report:  This painting is in overall good condition for the age.  However, it does not come without faults.  There is minor missing paint throughout and small renovations, some minor wrinkling of the canvas. 
This painting is sent track and trace  with COLISSIMO/Chronopost