Pierre Charles Lenoir

Biography

Pierre Lenoir was a French sculptor and medallist and was one of the Breton sculptors born in the 1880s who studied together at the Ecole regionale des Beaux-Arts in Rennes; Jean Boucher, Louis-Henri Nicot, Armel-Beaufils, Paul Le Goff, Eloi Robert, Albert Bourget and Francis Renaud. He was the son of the sculptor Charles Joseph Lenoir. He married the painter Mathilde Berthe Thorel who also used the name Mathilde Lenoir. He studied at the Ecole des beaux-arts de Rennes and the Ecole des beaux-arts de Paris. He became the director of the Ecole des beaux-arts de Rennes and in 1931 he was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur. He died on 9 September 1953 and is buried in the Thorel family grave in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. A plaque marks his residence between 1914 and 1953 at 12 rue d'Auteuil in Paris.

Main works

Lenoir's main works were:-

War memorials

Brittany lost some 240,000 men killed in the 1914-1918 war and every family and every commune was touched by that war, and as was the case throughout France, there was a hunger to mark these losses with some form of memorial. Those left behind felt it a duty to honour those lost in some tangible form and in November 1919 the association "La Bretagne artistique" sent a circular to all Breton Hotel de ville promising their cooperation in creating sculptural decoration for the memorials erected.

Penmarc'h War Memorial

For this memorial Lenoir sculpted a widow shrouded in a Breton cloak. The effect is most dramatic! It was originally intended to depict two women, one standing and the other on her knees but only one was completed.

Briec War Memorial

This memorial dates to 1922 and has Lenoir sculptures in kersantite. The figure of the soldier and the small "pieta" on one side of the obelisk were based on models by Lenoir but the actual carving was carried out by Jean Joncourt.

Medals

Lenoir created many medals and plaquettes.

"Woman smoking"

This 1931 Lenoir bronze plaquette is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum states

Stendhal

This plaster bust is to be seen in Grenoble's mairie. A version in marble is located in Grenoble's "House of Stendahl".

"Trois Fillettes"

A bronze bas-relief in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts

"Le Lait"

A bas-relief in copper held in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts

"Le Buerre"

A bas-relief in copper. Held in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

"Les Laveuses"

Another copper bas-relief in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts

"Breton assis"

This bronze study of a seated Breton is held in the Rennes Musee des beaux-arts.

A bronze allegory:"La Municipalite Rennaise 1914"

Held by Rennes Musee des beaux-arts. A plaque marking the 1914 inauguration of Rennes' town hall.

Adolphe Beaufrere

This 1918 work is held in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts. Beaufrere was a French painter and engraver.

"La Pomme de Terre"

A bas-relief held by Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

"Femmes en Deuil"

This study of women in mourning, a terracotta bas-relief held by Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

"Femme assise"

Bronze bas-relief on medallion held by Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts. Work dates to around 1919.

"L'Ancetre"

This study of a Breton wearing a hat dates to around 1920. Held in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts

"La Source"

This statue stands in Clamart's Parc Maison Blanche.

Richelieu

This work is held in Lucon's mairie.

"Tete de Vieille Femme"

A work in marble held in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts

"Tete de Fillette"

A 1929 work in marble.

"Le Potier de la Poterie"

Bronze bas-relief in Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

Medallion depicting Charles Lenoir

Work in terracotta held by Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

A "sacred heart" statue in Canico in Madeira

Lenoir worked with fellow sculptor Georges Serraz on the sacred heart/Cristo Rei, Madeira statue in 1927 which is 14 metres high.

Monument to Theodore Botrel

This 1928 monument is located in Paimpol's Place de Verdun. Botrel was a French singer-songwriter, poet and playwright. The monument involves a large piece of granite on which there is a bronze medallion depicting Botrel and on either side reliefs one of which depicts two women in Breton dress (La Paimpolaise gazing out to sea from the imaginary cliff) whilst the other depicts a group of three men. The words of the 1895 song "La Paimpolaise" are inscribed on the monument

The monument was inaugurated on 15 July 1928.

Monument to Gabriel Vicaire

This monument to the French poet stands in Ploumanac'h's Rue des Carrieres and on what is known as "La Roche des Poetes" and is a bronze plaque depicting Vicaire this fixed to a huge rock. It was in 1910 that the Perros-Guirec tourist office had the idea of devoting an area between La Clarte and Ploumanac'h in which to create a tribute to various "men of letters" who came from this part of Brittany. Apart from Lenoir's Vicaire, the writer Anatole Le Braz was remembered with a bronze portrait plaque the work being by the sculptor Armel-Beaufils and on a third rock Charles Le Goffic was honoured with a bronze portrait plaque by Louis Henri Nicot. The medallion of Gabriel Vicaire includes the representation of l'ajonc recalling Vicaires "Au Pays des Ajoncs" and the inscription "Gabriel Vicaire, 1848-1900".

Memorial to the pupils of the Paris conservatoire

This 1927 plaster memorial to the pupils of the Paris conservatoire national de la musique who gave their lives in the 1914-1918 war is conserved in the Mans Mairie.

"jeune fille a la sandale"

This Lenoir sculpture stands in Bois-Colombes's square de l'Hotel de Ville.

"La Jeunesse"

This marble bust of Madeleine Lenoir, the sculptor's daughter, is held by the Rennes Musee des beaux-arts.

"Head of an old woman"

A marble bust held by Rennes' Musee des beaux-arts.

Medallion Charles Lenoir

Charles Lenoir was Pierre's father and this 1954 terracota commemorative medallion depicting Charles in bas-relief is held in the collection of the Rennes' musee des beaux-arts. Charles was an accomplished sculptor

"La Riviere"

This sculpture carved from Senozan stone can be seen in the Parthenay mairie.