Untitled, 1963

‘Untitled’, 1963 by Pierre Chouaniere

Oil on canvas, 60 in. H

Pierre A. Chouaniere (1927–2011)

Pierre A. Chouaniere was an accomplished abstract expressionist painter whose work was deeply rooted in lived experience and shaped by a lifetime of movement, observation, and cultural exchange. Born in Brest, Brittany, France, he joined the French Resistance at the age of sixteen during the Second World War. After the war, he studied at the Écoles des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where Pierre Bonnard became a lasting artistic influence. His work moved fluidly between modern impressionism and abstraction, guided by his belief: “I don’t like to paint something I have not experienced myself.”

His subjects emerged directly from labor, travel, and memory. Early works include paintings inspired by his time working at the Gotaverken harbor in Gothenburg, as well as Greenfield, drawn from the fields of Normandy where he worked as a farmhand. He also found inspiration in the piers and fishing boats of Brittany, where he worked as a sardine fisherman, and in the streets and cafés of Paris, a city he longed for even while abroad. His later works evolved into pastel-toned abstractions influenced by his time in Martinique and the luminous architecture and tropical light of the island.

In 1950, the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet described Chouaniere as both artist and philosopher, noting his fascination with the Nordic light and his desire to leave Europe for America. The article quoted him as saying he was “tired of the old world” and wanted to experience the New World.

A longtime resident of East Quogue and Manhattan, New York, Chouaniere exhibited at galleries including the Ruth Sherman Gallery, Montauk Art Gallery, and the Viewing Room. As an active member of the Viewing Room, his work was presented in private exhibitions for curators and was selected for the annual “Designer’s Saturday” in October 1974, an exclusive trade exhibition for decorators, designers, and architectural firms east of the Mississippi.

In 1958, he painted a mural for the West End Brewing Company building in Utica, New York, winning recognition in the “Art for Our Town” mural and sculpture competition sponsored by the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. His work was also included in the collections of Air France’s New York headquarters and NASA in Houston.

Chouaniere passed away on February 4, 2011, at the age of 84, leaving behind a body of work spanning primarily the 1950s through the 1990s — work that authentically captured the harbors, fields, streets, and coastlines that shaped his extraordinary life.

Many of his paintings were sold privately over the years. This gallery presents a selection of works that remain with the family. Select pieces are available for purchase, with proceeds helping support his granddaughter as she pursues her dream of moving to France — following in her grandfather’s footsteps, even if in reverse.