Bernard Lignon (1921-2017) - Clown con fiore

Title “Ill-Loved”
Bernard Lignon: disappeared in 2017, is a well-known French expressionist painter, born in 1921, primarily known for his landscapes, Parisian and Venetian cityscapes, glimpses of streets and canals, marine scenes of ports and rivers, floral still lifes, as well as portraits and figurative works of clowns, harlequins and bullfighters.
At the beginning of his career, Lignon exhibited in several cities in the United States, including New York, Miami and Chicago. Between the late 1950s and the 1960s, he exhibited in London (around 1959/60), where he drew sell-out status for the artist, and also in Paris and surroundings, in galleries such as Galerie Paul Pétridès (1962, 1964 and 1966) and Galerie Barbizon (1983), which represented him in their galleries.
A funny anecdote from an old article in The Evening Star (Washington, DC), dating from his 1964 show at Galerie Pétridès, recounts that one of Lignon’s paintings was purchased by the famous actress Greta Garbo. Lignon was disappointed, however, because she did not give him any autograph other than the one on the check. Lignon asked himself: "Should I cash the check and take the money, or keep it and have the autograph? Women always make life difficult for men."