Pierre Coquet

Characters at the edge of the wood, oil painting by Pierre Coquet

Pierre Coquet (1926-2021) is a French painter who was born in Limas near Lyon, France. He entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Lyon in 1942 and followed the teaching of Antoine Chartres, Henri Vielly and René Chancrin. He won a prize in 1945 and joined a movement that wanted to be outside of any school whose name ends with “ism”, (like impressionism, cubism…) between figuration and the renaissance of Abstract Art, bringing together young generations under thirty and eager not to submit to any technique. The “Sanzism” (literally without « ism ») will bring together, among others, painters: James Bansac, Roger Bravard, André Chaix, Jean Mélinand, Paul Clair, André Cottavoz, Pierre Doye, Jean Fusaro, Jacques Truphémus, André Lauran, Edouard Mouriquand, Pierre Palué, Paul Philibert-Charrin, Antoine Sanner and Françoise Juvin. The latter will become his wife in 1948. In 1949, he participated in an exhibition in Geneva, at the Musée de l'Athénée, entitled "Eleven French painters" with Jacques Truphémus and Jean Fusaro. Françoise and Pierre moved to Paris in 1950. There he met Alexandre Garbell, who encouraged him and whom he attended classes in his academy on Boulevard de Clichy. Working as an art teacher at the Corvisart school in Paris he painted a lot beside this activity. His main subjects are “assemblages of objects” which evoke the memory of Giorgio Morandi, the roofs of Paris, still lifes, characters in situation, and abstraction. This sincere and modest man, turned inward in a climate of deep meditation, likes to express his feeling that “all painters encounter the same difficulties in wanting to express unspeakable emotions with painting. Everything is possible, at the condition it is true ” use to say Pierre. I have known Pierre and Françoise for a long time and organized several exhibition with their paintings. I am now taking care of the whole workshop providing beautifiul figurative and abstract works, paintings and many drawings with various sizes. Pierre was always working in his workshop, everyday, he needed it, painting was something vital to him. Paintings by Pierre Coquet are kept in the Museum Paul Dini in Villefranche. This well know museum has often exhibited works by the group « Sanzistes ».