"church Of Saint John The Baptist In Saint-jean-du-doigt" Madeleine Plantey (1890–1985)

Avignon, 1890 – Saint-Laurent-de-Chamousset, 1985

Renée-Madeleine Plantey was born in Avignon in 1880. Drawn to painting from a very early age, she enjoyed her family’s support and became a student of Tony Tollet in Lyon, with whom she trained for seven years. From him, she acquired a solid technical mastery and a professional sensibility that would shape her entire body of work.

From 1908 until the end of her life, she exhibited regularly at the Société Lyonnaise des Beaux-Arts, where she received every possible honor: awards, tributes, and even the vice-presidency of the institution. She also received the Grand Prix de Rome and the Palmes Académiques, and participated in the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. Loyal to Lyon, where she lived on Rue Laurencin, she devoted herself entirely to painting, although she took part in only one major local group exhibition: “A Century of Lyon Art,” held at the Quai de Bondy in 1958.

Her art is grounded in a high standard of craftsmanship. She works on her canvases at great length, constantly revising them to achieve the desired effect and finish. Although she works in various genres—portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and interiors—her preferred subject remains the depiction of the female form. She exhibited numerous nudes at the SLBA, often set in intimate interiors. This theme brings her closer to Bonnard or Vuillard, although her approach remains more academic and conventional.

A discreet yet recognized artist, Renée-Madeleine Plantey has established herself as a significant figure in the 20th-century Lyon art scene.

Sources: Documentation from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Tomaselli Collection

Oil on canvas, signed lower right
Dimensions: 55 x 46 cm
With frame: 68 x 59 cm