A Life of Painting and Printmaking
Pierre Gatier was a French painter and printmaker. He received his artistic training at the École des beaux-arts de Toulon, later continuing his studies at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris. During his time in Paris, he was a student of Joseph Blanc and Fernand Cormon. His work often captured the social life of fashionable locations, such as the Champs-Élysées, the rue de la Paix, and the Longchamp racecourse, rather than focusing on city monuments.
In 1907, he was appointed an official painter of the Marine. In this capacity, he produced views of Toulon and its surroundings, as well as depictions of various current events, including the shipwreck of the Kniaz Souvorov during the Russo-Japanese battle of Tsushima. Following the First World War, he moved to Parmain in the Val-d'Oise. After the crisis of 1929, he temporarily left painting to return to Toulon, where in 1931 he worked on the camouflage of coastal works for the Marine, specifically at the island of Porquerolles. He also participated in the 1937 Exposition universelle in Paris, where he decorated the Palais de l'Air.
Artistic Legacy and Collections
The works of Pierre Gatier are held in various public collections, including the Musée d'art et d'histoire Louis-Senlecq in L'Isle-Adam and the Musée d'art in Toulon. His diverse output includes:
His technical range spanned from oil on canvas to various forms of printmaking, including etching, drypoint, and wood engraving.
