The Artist's Interior - Pierre Agnès - Brittany

Dimensions:
unframed 42 x 34 cm, framed 57 x 49 cm.
Oil on panel, monogrammed PA lower left, artist's signature stamp on the back of the painting.
This canvas comes from the sale of the artist's studio in early June 2025 at auctioneer Ruellan.

Pierre Agnès (1898 - 1964):
Pierre Agnès was born into a family of artisans in Maisons-Laffitte. His father was an artistic ironworker. In 1915, Pierre entered the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he obtained particularly remarkable grades. But the First World War disrupted his plans. He enlisted as a volunteer in 1916 and was demobilized in September 1919. Drawing remained a constant in his life during those three years; he returned with numerous sketches of the trenches. He resumed his life and practiced his talents as a draftsman and decorator in Paris and the surrounding region. Alongside his work as a decorator, Pierre Agnès continues to exhibit his work at the Salon des Beaux-Arts and the Salon des Indépendants. He enjoys painting his loved ones in scenes of everyday life or during Sunday strolls along the villages bordering the Seine or the Oise rivers. But his true source of inspiration and his favorite place remains Brittany, from which he brings back small sketches drawn over the course of his days. This material fuels his studio work during the winter to prepare for his future exhibitions. He spends time in Camaret, Argol, Loctudy, Le Pouldu, Concarneau, Plougastel, Quimperlé… He is a lover of sunken lanes and views of the ocean. He has focused on capturing the world of seafarers, as well as the festivals and markets he encounters. He is a witness to this Brittany of the 1930s, which magnifies the effects of light, sometimes soft, sometimes contrasting. He belonged to the modern movement that emerged between the two World Wars known as "the painters of light." Pierre Agnès passed away on December 20, 1964, leaving behind more than six hundred works: oils, watercolors, pastels, and also engravings. Proof that this passion stayed with him throughout his life. His studio was dispersed on June 7, 2025, at the auction of Maître Ruellan in Vannes.