Paul Michel Dupuy was a pupil of Léon Bonnat and Albert Maignan at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français every year from 1896 until his death, and became a member of the Salon in 1899. His The Elephants at the Zoological Gardens was awarded the third class medal in 1901 and his Luxembourg Palace, Autumn Evening won the second class medal in 1902. Dupuy was then declared hors concours and made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur. His The Sisters of Compassion won the Medal of Honour in 1933.

Dupuy sought to follow in the footsteps of Henri Martin. His training was academic, but he was influenced by Impressionism and drew from life in the open air, sensitive to the changing play of the light and attracted to the brilliance of colour without neglecting outline. Like his teacher Bonnat, Dupuy painted numerous portraits and found subjects on his travels through Brittany, Normandy, the Midi and the South-West of France as well as Italy and Spain. Described in his day as a 'painter of life and movement', Dupuy did indeed have a predilection for scenes with children which he set in parks, public gardens and on beaches.

Museum and Gallery Holdings

Paris (MNAM-CCI): The Luxembourg Palace, Autumn Evening
Pau (MBA): Elephants in the Zoological Gardens
Rheims (MBA)
Tourcoing (MBA): The Sisters of Compassion