Fernand Fernel (1865 - 1933)

Fernand Fernel was born in Belgium. In 1870, his parents left Brussels for Paris, where little Fernand grew up. Fernand, whose real name was Ferdinand Auguste François Cerckel, became a prolific illustrator, poster artist and draughtsman active in Paris at the turn of the XIXᵉ and XXᵉ centuries. He distinguished himself as one of the pioneers of Belgian poster art alongside Privat Livemont and Armand Rassenfosse, before establishing himself on the Parisian scene. Fernel worked with the leading lithographic printers of his day (Devambez, Chaix, Vercasson, Lemercier) and saw some of his posters reproduced in the famous magazine Les Maîtres de l'affiche, directed by Jules Chéret. His humorous, expressive style is illustrated in hundreds of postcards, coloring books and sketches, often centered on the popular worlds of the time: the circus, sports, automobiles and aviation. He maintained a close relationship with the world of show business, notably with the Fratellini family, and produced a remarkable series of drawings for the Galas de l'Union des Artistes between 1923 and 1930. His work, at once rooted in the modernity of his time and marked by a satirical vein, bears witness to a dense and original career at the heart of Parisian artistic life during the Belle Époque and the Roaring Twenties.

His connection with Brittany must date from the end of his life, as he died in Dinard. He is known for some fine Breton paintings.