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"Dua\u00EDv was born in 1952 in the maritime region of France near the city of Bordeaux. He\u2019s traveled the world as a classical musician and accomplished painter, receiving accolades for his incredible work in service of nurturing and promoting the arts. With the world as his canvas, Dua\u00EDv\u2019s work is a contemporary representation of Impressionism at its height.When Dua\u00EDv was just three years old, he picked up his first paintbrush, but at the dismay of his parents, the walls of his home became his first canvas. Nevertheless, by the time he was nine, Dua\u00EDv completed his first oil painting. Still in his early years, Dua\u00EDv\u2019s family moved to a nearby island off the coast of France, which inspired Dua\u00EDv\u2019s love of boats and coastal scenery. His mother was a classical pianist and his father was a sculptor, so Dua\u00EDv was raised in a very artistic environment. Although he began showing a natural talent for painting at such a young age, his father didn\u2019t want him to become an artist \u2013 so he bought him a cello. The cello was a fitting choice for Dua\u00EDv, who had met renowned cellist Pablo Casals when he was only eight. With his new instrument, he continued to practice, but chose not to leave his painting behind.As Dua\u00EDv grew older, he chose to be classically educated in both art and music. He attended the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique in Paris, trained in the cello under Bernard Michelin. He also attended the \u00C9cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to further his studies in painting. Dua\u00EDv\u2019s art and music began taking him everywhere, opening doors to incredible opportunities. When he was twenty-five, Dua\u00EDv met artist Salvador Dal\u00ED. Dal\u00ED continually inspired Dua\u00EDv throughout his life, constantly reminding him to blend his passion for the arts, transitioning his music throughout his painting and throughout his life.Many collectors love Dua\u00EDv\u2019s paintings because they\u2019re so uplifting. They\u2019re colorful, cheerful, and bright \u2013 almost buzzing with movement across the canvas. The artist uses cans of paint rather than tubes, working with various sizes of palette knives and tiny brushes, smoothing with his fingers. While he only uses six to eight colors on his palette, a full spectrum of hues shines within each painting. His inspiration comes from his travels and his favorite artists of the past, especially nineteenth and twentieth French artists such as Monet and C\u00E9zanne and Dutch artists such as Vermeer and Frans Hals.In 2003, world renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, sponsored Dua\u00EDv\u2019s immigration to the United States, and in 2011, he became a citizen. As a thank you, Dua\u00EDv painted Yo-Yo Ma on the cover of his own album. Currently a resident of Florida, Dua\u00EDv spends much of his time in live performances. Through the means of what he calls, \u201CHappenings,\u201D Dua\u00EDv performs spontaneous concerts at galleries and outdoor spaces, accompanied on piano while playing his cello before his book signings and gallery openings. Most recently, Dua\u00EDv has traveled aboard cruise ships, painting in live performances and inspiring audience participation. Notably, for Barack Obama\u2019s inauguration, Dua\u00EDv painted a portrait of the president in front of a live audience while the inauguration sounded on television around the ship. The most important thing to Dua\u00EDv is being able to share his art as an experience, inspiring his audience.Dua\u00EDv has painted for many events in Cannes, including the Salon de la Gastronomie at the Palais des Festivals where he painted world-renowned chefs. For the fiftieth anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, Dua\u00EDv designed the sides of two buses with the landscape of the area and faces of popular film stars over the decades, which were hung in the former transportation museum in Mougins.Dua\u00EDv has received many awards and accolades. He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Star of Europe, European Foundation Prize, for his efforts to assist contemporary artists and his country, awarded by HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark. In 2006, Dua\u00EDv entered the Benezit Directory of top-rated painters. He is also featured in \u201CWho\u2019s Who\u201D in International and American art. He has also received the Lys D\u2019Or from the Cannes International Carlton for his international career. Dua\u00EDv has exhibited all over the world, especially across France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the United States, Tunisia, and Australia.Today, Dua\u00EDv continues to paint and play his cello without relent. For two hours every morning, Dua\u00EDv practices his cello, maintaining his technique. Each night, he paints in his studio for four to six hours, always listening to music. The two disciplines are so entwined for the artist that he cannot paint without music. He claims that there\u2019s no such thing as Sunday and he never takes vacation. For Dua\u00EDv, his art is his life. His home is filled with memorabilia from events and accolades \u2013 newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and frames. For Dua\u00EDv, it\u2019s essential to give back to his community, and through his art, he is able to do so."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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