Gaston Béthune is a landscape painter from the French school. He was born in 1857 in Paris and died in Auteuril (a suburb of Paris) in 1897. Béthune began his formal studies with landscape painter Jules Achille Noel (1815-1881). He would continue is studies with historical painter Léon Bonnat (1833-1922) and watercolorist Pierre-François- Eugéne Giraud (1806-1881) at the Beaux-Art Academie.

Béthune debuted at the Paris Salon of 1876 and soon became an important figure and regular contributor to the salons. He was recognized for his Luminist landscapes in both oil and watercolor. Although his career was shortened by illness and death, Béthune had an incredibility successful life and career. In 1881, he was knighted Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, one of France’s most coveted honors.

Museums:
Lille: "Le Repose"
Nantes: "Le vieux port á Menton"
"Eventail sur soie"
"Beaulieu"
"Presqu’ile Saint-Lean á beaulieu, 1885"
La Campagne de Rome (series)
"London"
"Arcachon"
"Naples"
" 1886, du Château Saint Elme" (watercolor)
Reims: "Fleur d’été"
Saintes: "Route de Villefranche" (watercolor)

Listed:
E. Benezit, vol. I, pg.716
Dictionnaire des Maîtres de La peinture 18201-1920, vol. 1, A-H, page 126. Gérald Schurr and Pierre Cabanne
Dictionnaire des peintres paysagistes Français au XIX siecle