He began his studies in 1890 at the local School of Fine Arts; winning several awards for his sketches and ink wash paintings, although his interests soon turned to decorative work.

Shortly after, he became Director of the École des Beaux-arts d'Alger [fr]; a position he held until his death.

After the exhibition, his works were moved to the "Palais d’Été"; official home and headquarters for the French admirals in Algiers (A building that would later be the scene for the assassination of François Darlan).

In 1932, for his last major work, he created a large canvas depicting the Ouled Naïls that was shown at the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français.

Overall, he concentrated on scenes of daily life as opposed to the more "exotic" aspects of Arab culture.