He settled in Lyon around 1900, retouched photographs and also worked with watercolours.
He perfected a process of execution which enabled him to give his watercolour works the power of oil. Eugène Villon made watercolour his material; he knew how to master the effects, to find the transparencies.

He stayed in the Maghreb where he became famous for his evocation of souks and mosques.

Eugène Villon is known in Lyon but also in the numerous European cities where he goes to work: Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Strasbourg, Venice, Nice, North Africa
Eugène Villon also left for Paris where he exhibited for the first time at the Salon des artistes français in 1907, becoming an associate member.

Eugène Villon, Officer of the Public Education and Officer of the Academy, was named Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1937.
This decoration was given to him by President Albert Lebrun. The critics could then write under the pen of J. Etievant: "I do not believe that an artist is as close as he is to absolute mastery and perfection".