René Perrot (1912-1979), “owl” Lithograph, 20th

Large lithograph representing an owl, rated 1 out of 2 and signed "Perrot". Period 20th René Perrot (1912-1979) was a prolific artist, constantly experimenting with new styles and new techniques. He is particularly known for his tapestries, intended to adorn official buildings, ministries or embassies throughout the world. This exhibition invites you to rediscover the richness and sensitivity of his work through nearly 200 drawings, paintings, tapestries and objects from the collections of Mucem, Mobilier national but also private collections. Deeply pacifist, René Perrot's production is marked by the history of his time and its upheavals, the Second World War constituting a turning point in his career. Son of teachers and grandson of farmers, René Perrot studied at the National School of Decorative Arts before working as a poster artist until the start of the Second World War. A convinced antimilitarist, he denounces the absurdity of the war in which he participates in engravings. After the French defeat by Germany, he investigated for the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, taking an artistic look at the French countryside. As was the case for a certain number of architects, decorators and artists, the protection of the museum prevents it from being too worried because of its political positions in this troubled context. It was in his native village of Cuse (Doubs) and its surroundings that he began his investigation in 1942 and 1943; he continued it in Cantal in 1944, then in the Pyrénées-Orientales in 1945. He thus produced numerous paintings and engravings, nearly four hundred of which are preserved at the Mucem. These works document varied themes, from architecture to landscape, from crafts to agriculture, and from the realities of daily life to holiday spectacles. This work paints a questioning and pensive portrait of a France in full transformation: what emerges is an image that is both precise and idealized, both quasi-scientific and quasi-utopian, of rural France. After this experience in the field, René Perrot devoted most of his work to tapestry and teaching. He is deeply attached to nature and animals who end up almost completely replacing, in his artistic production, the humans who may have disappointed him. It is in fauna, flora, the seabed and minerals that he finds his inspiration: their shapes and their vibrant colors nourish the poetic universe of his works. From 1945, he contributed to the revival of the Creuse workshops in Basse-Lice, to which he remained faithful. He produced more than four hundred cartoons of tapestries from which tapestries were made by the Manufactures de Felletin, Aubusson or Gobelins, participating alongside his elder Jean Lurçat in the revival of this wall art.