Young Girl With A Bonnet From Plougastel By Mary Pirou-bazin - Brittany

Born Marie-Louise Piriou (1881-1956) in Morlaix on October 16, 1881, Mary Piriou-Bazin established herself as one of the singular figures of 20th-century Breton painting. Trained in Brest and then Paris, where she attended the Académie Julian and Antoine Bourdelle's studios, she developed a free artistic sensibility early on, nourished by close observation of nature and a profound admiration for light.

From 1909, settled in Pont-Aven, she found Brittany to be her chosen territory. A spiritual heiress to the Pont-Aven School without ever locking herself into it, she painted landscapes, scenes of life, Breton pardons and portraits with a vibrant palette, blending impressionist influences and synthesist accents. Her work reveals an intimate and sincere vision of Brittany - a lively, popular, luminous and profoundly human Brittany.

Acknowledged as an artist during her lifetime, Mary Piriou regularly exhibited in Paris, notably at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Galerie Georges Petit. Her work is also shown in numerous Breton and southern galleries, affirming her reputation far beyond her native region.

In 1933, her marriage to Henry Bazin gave birth to the signature under which she is often known today: Mary Piriou-Bazin. Despite the fire in her Dinan studio in 1946, which destroyed a large part of her production, she continued her work with remarkable constancy until the end of her life.

Deceased in Paris in 1956, she left an endearing body of work deeply rooted in the Breton soul. Long a low-profile figure in art history, Mary Piriou is now enjoying a well-deserved rediscovery, driven by the growing interest of collectors, museums and lovers of Breton painting. This critical reappraisal came to fruition in 2023 with an honorary presentation at the Musée de Pont-Aven, where several works by Mary Piriou were exhibited.