François Nardi

François Nardi (7 December 1861, Nice – 28 November 1936, Toulon) was a French painter of Italian heritage who specialized in maritime scenes.

Biography His parents were Italian immigrants from Campi Bisenzio, near Florence. He displayed an early talent for art and left the family's millinery business to paint in the countryside. There, he was noticed by Frédéric Montenard, the noted Provençal painter, who was impressed with his work and encouraged him to study in Paris.

In 1887, he enrolled at the Académie Julian, where he studied with Tony Robert-Fleury. Two years later he won first prize at the Academy's exhibition and displayed his work at the Salon des Artistes Français. In 1890, his canvas "La rade de Toulon : effet de mistral" (The Harbor at Toulon, Mistral effect) was purchased by the French government