Pierre Toulhoat (1923 - 2014)

Pierre Toulhoat was born in Quimper on 1 September 1923. He spent the first years of his life in Kerfeunteun, to the north of the town. In this environment, the young boy found something to satisfy his curiosity in all areas, particularly with regard to craft techniques. However, the outbreak of the Second World War and the years of the Occupation thwarted the young man's ambitions, forcing him to postpone the artistic studies he aspired to. During the Occupation, he worked as a draughtsman at the Ponts et Chaussées until August 1944, and then took part in the clandestine struggle within the FFI of Finistère. After his military service, he became a journalist for a few months, then a stained glass worker in Quimper at Le Bihan-Saluden.
He then left for Paris to continue his stained glass practice in the Bony and Le Chevalier workshops. After his day's work, evening classes at the City of Paris prepared him for the entrance exam to the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, which he passed in 1947. Toulhoat returned to France in 1951 with his diploma in hand.
From 1947 onwards, he worked with the Kéraluc earthenware factory, created jewellery for Kelt, fabrics for Le Minor, and continued to design stained glass windows for the Le Bihan-Saluden workshop. He taught ceramics and modelling for a time at the École des Beaux-Arts in Quimper. In 1956, he added a jewellery workshop to his ceramic and stained glass workshop in order to publish his own collection with his wife Yvonne.
He produced numerous works (ceramic bas-reliefs, stained glass windows, etc.) which can be found throughout Brittany. He created medals for the Monnaie de Paris...
Throughout his life he developed a vast collection of jewellery and executed unique pieces of religious goldsmithery and private commissions in his workshop in Quimper. He died on 13 October 2014 at the age of 91.