. Biography of Gérard RIOU .

Born in Bricquebec, Cotentin (Normandie) of a family of sailors.

Graduated from classical Letters

Professional activity: Creator in advertising, illustrator.

He lives until 25 years in Cherbourg, facing the sea. He passes the next several years in the region of Nice. In Cagnes sur mer (France), he lives very close to the house of the Grapple, last dwelling of Renoir. But a long stay to Aix in Provence will be decisive : he there makes the acquaintance an English painter that the initiates «on the motive» to the work of Paul Cézanne. His profession drives him next to Lille where he mixes with Roger Frézin and Ben Bella. Last step, Amiens. There, he rediscovers the sea some kilometers farer, on the alfred steps Manessier he meets by chance in the Crotoy.

If child he frequented very briefly the school of the Beautiful Arts of Cherbourg, he nevertheless must be considered as a self-taught painter, since he does not put himself to the paint that very late, after forty years.

Follow by the work periods and of doubt. In this spirit, he follows a training of a year to the Superior school of art and of amiens Design and begins painting uniformly.

This is at this point in time that he discovers the Corsican one but at the same time the difficulty to translate the bursting wealth of the colors to the big sun of the Mediterranean. This is while he «meets» Derain and the big cats, then the German expressionnistes, that will be a precious assistance for the creation of his palette.

The exhibitions link then in France and abroad: Belgium, great britainâ€¦

He works today on a non figurative expression.

To be continued...

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