20th Century Fruitwood Bibliotheque or Vitrine by Vincent Gonzalez, 1960s

Vincent GONZALEZ was born in 1928 in Spain in Linares, a town in northern Andalusia depending on the province of Jaen.
The life of young Vincent will be turned upside down by the outbreak of the civil war.
He is seven years old. His father, who runs the town of Linares, is arrested in the middle of the street and then shot with his older brother by Franco’s soldiers. Vincent and his five-year-old sister are dropped off by their mother on a train bound for France.
They are two very young orphans who arrive in Lyon a few days later. They no longer have a family, do not speak French and do not know anyone. France then mobilized to welcome the victims of the war. Solidarity networks are set up fairly quickly, particularly in Lyon. The brother and sister were taken in by a family from Lyon, the LESEIGNEs. where they will find a home and affection.

Vincent learns cabinetmaking and painting. His talent was noticed and the young Vincent then worked in the Guillotière district. This will be his job, he will work for his own account but also for great cabinetmakers and decorators from Lyon.
It is in cabinetmaking and marquetry that Vincent GONZALEZ reveals all his art and talent. Each unique piece is the result of expert work, each detail reveals the great mastery and skill of this artist. Just look at the handles of the furniture carved in the mass, the virtuosity of the marquetry to approach the genius of this wood artist.

He reserved sculpture and painting for his home and his modesty prevented him from showing his work.
The stone sculptures also reveal the delicacy of Vincent GONZALEZ’s carving, his poetry and his ability to design such moving forms.
His pictorial works, both sacred and literary, illustrate his great culture and his taste for color, drawing and once again a great technical mastery.
Vincent was married for 70 years to Denise. Together they built a house in which he made all the furniture and fittings.
Vincent GONZALEZ developed a network of customers from Lyon for whom he produced numerous pieces of furniture.
On the death of his wife, Vincent GONZALEZ wasted away and died two years later in 2019.