A painting which forms part of the highly praised, large-scale artworks installation in Ashford International Station, Kent, has been bought by the prestigious Parisian café Les Deux Magots. And the café is to host an exhibition of paintings by the artist, John Lester, from January 7th – January 27th, 2013.

Situated in the Place St Germain des Prés, the celebrated Les Deux Magots is in the very heart of Paris and is renowned for its literary and artistic connections, counting among its clientele such figures as Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Saint Exupery, Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

The painting bought by the café is itself entitled ‘Les Deux Magots’ and portrays both interior and exterior scenes at the café. It is a bright and cheerful pastel painting (98 x 128cm), full of life, and will be on show during the January exhibition.

Artist John Lester says: “About 6 years ago, I painted my first Parisian café scene, titled simply ‘Paris’, which showed two lovers sitting at a café table in Paris’ Latin Quarter. This, together with my own Parisian ancestry, then set me off along a path of wanting to represent various aspects of Paris and its café society, and I found my motivation in the ambiance and wonderful interior decor of Les Deux Magots. I’ve now set several paintings there and very much look forward to seeing my first exhibition in the café in January.”

The exhibition will feature a number of Parisian scenes, including an oil on canvas painting, ‘Avenue, Jardin des Plantes’ and a fresh working of John Lester’s original ‘Paris’, set in Les Deux Magots and titled ‘Paris, Les Deux Magots’.