Yvan Lacanal

Le tableau de Vollard

October 29, 2025

Roman historique

208 pages

150 × 210 mm

18 €

979-1-0298-0771-8

Diffusion : DOD&Cie

Ambroise Vollard is one of the greatest art dealers and talent scouts of the 20^th century. His collection is priceless, but his favorite painting is a small, unparalleled format painted in Arles. Ochre walls, blue trees, a yellow sky that breaks free from black boundaries. Black like the approaching chaos, the future takes shape in swastikas. Between wealthy collectors, artists, dealers and crooks, a chase ensues through the secrets of Vollard’s colossal collection. This three-part story is an immersion into the artistic world of an era in full transformation and one man’s obsession with the beauty of a painting.

The author

Yvan Lacanal was born in Toulouse in 1959. After a mediocre schooling, he embarked as a cabin boy on an oil tanker for the maritime route of black gold. He then worked various odd jobs: handler, worker, draftsman… He entered the National School of Decorative Arts in Nice. Villa Arson offered him the opportunity to dive into the world of art. Alongside screenwriting training, he practiced drawing and painting during five years of studies. After graduating, he chose to dedicate himself to teaching. He taught in Paris then in Auvergne. In 1994, he discovered Réunion Island. “I never left it”. And for 26 years, he has been striving to give his students the taste for learning.

Highlights

An imaginary canvas as narrative thread: The invention of a favorite painting, created by two masters of Impressionism, gives a powerful romantic dimension, subtly blending fiction and reality

A historical fresco of the 20^th century integrating the great upheavals of the era (wars, Nazism, trafficking and looting of artworks), which enriches the plot and gives it true historical depth

The suspense linked to the disappearance and quest for this fictional painting gives the novel the feel of an artistic investigation, which keeps readers on the edge of their seats