Yves de Kerouallan (1895 - 1984)

Yves de Kerouallan was born in Pluvigner (56), between Hennebont and Auray, into a family of sailors. He studied at the Saint Sauveur high school in Redon. At the age of 21, during the First World War, he lost his right arm on the Eastern Front. This did not affect his desire to paint. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Nantes and became a drawing teacher at the Saint Sauveur de Redon high school.

He likes to paint existences subjected to the laws of Nature, essentially punctuated by the demands of a difficult job and religious rites. Very structured compositions, made of large figures, reminiscent of certain militant posters from the former USSR. Robust silhouettes of men and women caught up in a long, endless march. Thick lines, a subtle play of light and shadow, delicately chosen dark colours, punctuated by bright touches, are the hallmarks of Yves de Kerouallan's work.

He is a discreet and modest painter. He calls his paintings "things". He does not give them a title, and almost never signs them. Yves de Kerouallan is a rare painter. He paints little, his work is estimated at about a hundred paintings.

Yves de Kerouallan's first official exhibition took place in Redon, just before his death in 1984. The Pont-Aven Museum devoted a retrospective exhibition to him in 2011.