Painter, illustrator, designer. Historical subjects, allegorical subjects, figures, portraits, genre scenes, still-lifes. Murals.
Paul Jean Gervais studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse and then became a pupil of Jean Léon Gérome and Gabriel Ferrier at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

His murals include: the ceiling of Nice Casino; Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo; Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry for the Colonies, Paris; Prefecture of Toulouse and Wedding Room of the Capitole, Toulouse. He also worked on many private commissions. Among his works are: Fructidor, Messidor, Sunbath, Titania's Folly, Young Woman in a Ball Gown and Young Women in the Country. He also illustrated Aristophanes' Lysistrata. His bold and strong brush-stroke, particularly evident in his portraits of women, is reminiscent of Édouard Manet's style. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, Paris, from 1881 to 1936 and won a number of awards including: Salon prize (1898), silver medal (1900 Exposition Universelle), Henner prize (1908), and Bonnat prize (1929). He was made Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur and promoted to Officier in 1908.

Museum and Gallery Holdings

Montpellier (Mus. Fabre): Young Nude with a Headdress of Flowers (oil on wood)
Toulouse: Titania's Folly