Leon Zanella was born in Marseilles, in 1956.  In his first one-person show at age 17, he sold every work of art.  He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Avignon.  

Throughout his career, he has drawn inspiration from the strong light and dramatic colors of his birthplace.  Zanella's use of color is reminiscent of works by the Fauvists, such as Henri Matisse and André Derain, whose vibrant, expressive works ushered in a new understanding of the relationship between color and light.  

Zanella continues and expands upon this modern aesthetic tradition in his captivating scenes of Provence, the American Southwest, and Venice. His work has been exhibited in France, Austria, Germany, Monaco, the United States, and is in private collections worldwide.