Chabas was a pupil of William Bouguereau and of Tony Robert-Fleury. He painted female nudes in the most traditional of the academic styles; he belonged to that element of the old Salon des Artistes Français unable to acknowledge the new creativity emerging from the beginning of the 19th century onwards. He was also a society portrait artist. In 1899, he received the national prize of the Salon and a gold medal in 1900. He was a member of the Comité des Artistes Français. He received the medal of honour in 1912, became a member of the Institut in 1921, and a commander in the Légion d'Honneur.

Solo Exhibitions

1983, Paul Chabas 1869-1937: Une Peinture Sensuelle, Les Reflets du Temps, Paris

Museum and Gallery Holdings

Montauban (Mus. Ingres): Portrait of Henry Lapauze (before 1923, oil on canvas)
Mulhouse: The Bath
Nantes (MBA): Happy Frolics; Portrait of Rogatien Lévêque; Portrait of Mme Puybaraud; Portrait of General Buat; Portrait of Mme Merlant
Paris (Louvre): Waves on the Rocks (tempera on paper)
Paris (Mus. d'Orsay): Portrait of the Artist's Wife (oil on canvas); Dusk (c. 1905, oil on canvas)
Tourcoing: Table Corner
Versailles (Mus. Nat. du Château et des Trianons): collection of portraits