René Pinard (1883 - 1938)

René Pinard was a painter-engraver born in Nantes. Son of Nantes photographer Étienne-Marie Pinard, he grew up on rue Crébillon. His first drawings date from 1897. In 1901 and 1902, he attended Mr. Gaucher's class at the Nantes municipal drawing school. On October 15, 1902, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied with Fernand Cormon. In October 1906, he joined his teacher's etching workshop, where he won several awards in 1907 and 1908. In 1909, he married Yvonne Touvet, a student at the École des Beaux-Arts. His daughter Renée was born on November 6 of the same year. He travels to the Netherlands in 1906, and to Spain in 1910. In 1913, he tied for first prize in the Chenavard competition. The following year, he enjoyed success at the Galerie Guérault's first "Artistic Brittany" exhibition, where his Port de Nantes was noticed. During the First World War, René Pinard served two tours of duty, notably in Lorraine, between 1916 and the end of 1917. He then embarked on a minesweeper, the Kerdonis, based in Lorient. He was appointed painter to the Navy in 1921, and embarked on a training cruiser, the Jeanne-d'Arc. His voyages on board took him to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In addition to these voyages, his position as official painter to the navy, for which he was reappointed every five years until his death, entitled him to take part in the Salon de peinture et de sculpture, and to be awarded the title of "Painter of the Navy". In 1923, René Pinard was awarded the Grand Prix de Dessin by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Until 1937, he worked for the French Navy, illustrating La Guerre navale racontée par ses amiraux. Between 1930 and 1937, he won numerous awards at Salons in North Africa. In 1935, he became a member of the jury of the Société Coloniale des Artistes Français. He died in Paris on May 2, 1938.