Description: Pierre Villain (French, 1880-1950). Oil on canvas painting of a man and woman holding hands. Signed "Pierre Villain" in lower right corner. Copy of original label on support verso. Painting measures 24" high x 19-3/4" wide. Frame measures 27-3/4" high x 23-1/2" wide. Strongly rooted in European Social Realism, Villain's work shows influence by Robert Henri and George Bellows, and bears a resemblance to work by his contemporaries, Moses and Raphael Soyer. Several of his pre-war works are in today's sale.