Pierre Roy was a French painter, designer and illustrator, who represented Surrealism and Magic Realism movements. His artworks are known for containing obscure juxtapositions, many of which were inspired by memories of childhood.
Background
Pierre Roy was born on August 10, 1880 in Nantes, France. His family had connections with the writer Jules Verne, whose stories made a great impression on Roy as a boy and might have had some influence on the direction, that his art took in later life.
Education
In 1904, Pierre Roy moved to Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, the Académie Julian and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs.
Career
Pierre's early work was Neo-Impressionist. In 1908, he came into the circle of the Fauves, but approximately in 1920, the painter discovered the work of Giorgio de Chirico and began moving towards the Surrealist style, with which he was mostly associated.
In 1925, the painter took part in the first Surrealist group exhibition at the Galerie Pierre in Paris.
Pierre's other works included designs for theatre and ballet sets and book illustrations in lithograph and woodcut.